Holland by Night

In the year 1270 a dam was placed in the river Amstel. This turned a small village in the estuary of the Amstel in the river Y into Amsterdam, or Amstelledamme as it was called. The dam created a natural harbour and the village turned from mainly fishing, crafts and shipping to industry, transport and shipbuilding.
The village and the surrounding land were held by local lords, in name vassals of the bishop of Utrecht, but in reality almost autonomous. But count Floris V had his eye on the village and in 1280 he annexed the region and it became part of the county of Holland. In 1275 he gave the village freedom of local tolls and around 1300 it finally received city rights. In the 14th century the trade with the German cities of the Hanseatic League along the Northsea and the Baltic was in the hands of the cities in the east of the Netherlands. 
In 1323 a new arrival in the city, the Malkav brew master Hop, arranged the placement of a newly instituted beer toll for German beer in the city. As a result the city turned into the major beer market for the region. In 1345 Amsterdam became an important destination for pilgrims after "het mirakel van Amsterdam" (the miracle of Amsterdam). As the city grew, so did its building projects. In 1389 the city built its first town hall and its first monastery (St. Marienveld ten nyen lichte).