Why do the Amsterdam canals not smell? Not even on a a sweltering summer's day? You can only find out during night, when a very observant person will notice the water in the canals flowing. The flow is not very fast, but it is sufficient to keep the canals clean. The nocturnal flushing is regulated by the Town's Water Office and this was housed in 1878 in the Montelbaanstower which until a few years before that, - officially - was part of the Amsterdam defence works.

The famous Amsterdam Rijksmuseum is over 100 years old (dated 1885). It was designed by P.J.H. Cuypers, the Catholic architect who also designed the Central Station. The contents of the museum are of great variety and extremely valuable. Nearly everyone knows that Rembrandt's "Night Watch"- one of the many masterpieces of the great Dutch painter - is on display here.

Not far from the Rijksmuseum there are the Stedelijk Museum (mainly modern art) and the Van Gogh Museum that has got an ample collection to justify its name.