Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
21 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
22 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
24 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Amsterdam Normaal Amsterdams Peil (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum)

Normaal Amsterdams Peil (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum)

Europe's official "zero-level," the equator of elevation.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  CoolCrab (Atlas Obscura User)
  CoolCrab (Atlas Obscura User)
The stone covering the bolt in Dam Square.   CoolCrab (Atlas Obscura User)
  CoolCrab (Atlas Obscura User)
A replica of the bolt that can be found under the stone   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab (Atlas Obscura User)
H&M reference point  
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The infrastructure of Amsterdam all depends on a stone at the center of Dam Square. The stone caps a bolt that marks Amsterdam’s zero-level, or sea level, based on high tide in the summer of nearby Zuiderzee Bay. The reference point, called Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (which translates to Normaal Amsterdams Peil, or NAP), is the heart of the European network of national leveling networks. In other words, the NAP is the prime meridian of elevation.

Though you wouldn't know it while walking around the city, much of Amsterdam lies below sea level. In the 17th century the city of Amsterdam was built on wooden piles on soft peat ground on sand. In 1953, flooding in the western Province of Zeeland reached nearly 15 feet above the NAP.

Measurements for the NAP were first taken in 1683 and 1684, and the point was originally indicated by a series of marker stones in various dikes and sluices in Amsterdam. Only one of these stones is still visible today, in the  Eenhoornsluis. The bolt beneath Dam Square is generally not open to the public, but an exact replica is available to visit at the Stopera, which houses city hall and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet. The replica pole is surrounded by an exhibition and education room for the NAP, which displays various Victorian leveling instruments. Visitors can even try to carry out their own leveling survey with a leveling instrument provided in the exhibit.

Related Tags

Navigation Elevation Infrastructure Floods Cities

Know Before You Go

The coverstone is freely accessible, but it is rarely lifted unless surveyors are there to work. The replica is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, lcis, glimpky

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • lcis
  • glimpky

Published

January 23, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.normaalamsterdamspeil.nl/wp-content/uploads/4-6-13-EN-gecorr-NAP-flyer2.pdf
Normaal Amsterdams Peil (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum)
Mozes en Aäronstraat
Dam Square, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, 1012 PC
Netherlands
52.373115, 4.892401
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Amsterdam Oersoep

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Stadsbank van Lening (City Bank of Lending)

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

City Hall Urinal

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Places 76
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Amsterdam Oersoep

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Stadsbank van Lening (City Bank of Lending)

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

City Hall Urinal

Amsterdam, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Places 76
Stories 7

Related Places

  • Green Belt sign in Emsworth.

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Allegheny County Belt System

    Color-coded signs direct drivers on a network of routes designed to avoid Pittsburgh traffic.

  • Repère Pierre du Niton

    Geneva, Switzerland

    Repère Pierre du Niton

    This stone in Lake Geneva was once the reference point used to determine altitude in Switzerland.

  • The Remains of Rajōmon Gate, 2019.

    Kyoto, Japan

    Remains of Rajōmon Gate

    The site where the famous city gate once stood, now in the middle of a playground.

  • Stockholm, Sweden

    Källargränd urinoar (Källargränd Urinal)

    A 130-year-old urinal is the oldest of Stockholm and perhaps all of Sweden.

  • Nebraska Bridge.

    Tionesta, Pennsylvania

    Nebraska Bridge

    For decades, it has disappeared and reappeared as water levels rise and fall.

  • The Katarinahissen.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Katarina Elevator

    This gem from the industrial age helps visitors and residents alike traverse hilly Stockholm.

  • New York, New York

    Rat Rock in Morningside Heights

    This giant boulder is sandwiched between apartment complexes in upper Manhattan.

  • Memorial.

    South Yorkshire, England

    Dale Dyke Dam Marker and Memorials

    The collapse of the brand-new dam caused one of the worst floods in British history.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.