Description
The Dutch term for the typical Amsterdam bollard is 'Amsterdammertje' (“a little one from Amsterdam”). It is adorned with the central element of the town arms, the shield with the three crosses or the Saint Andrew’s Crosses. While there are many creative hypotheses as to the origin of the town arms, it is most likely derived from the noble family Persijn’s coat of arms. The knight Jan Persijn was lord of Amstelledamme, as the city used to be called, between 1280 and 1282. The name refers to the River Amstel and the adjacent dam erected in the 13th century at the outfall of the Zuiderzee, the great freshwater lake known today as Ijsselmeer.
