Cracks and sinks appear along the waterways of Amsterdam.

Bicycles fall into the leaking water, and the banks of the canals disappear under their wheels.

The walls of the dock are collapsing from the boats. Bridges have problems.

While recent restrictions on Covid-19 have freed the Dutch capital from a more superficial disease associated with over-tourism, it seems that the city is going through a more serious existential crisis.

It risks collapsing into the water on which it is built. And only a huge transformation can save him.

Fortunately, no one has been hurt yet, but if they don't realize how to make the necessary subtle repairs worth millions of dollars, some of the beautiful medieval infrastructure that makes Amsterdam such a popular destination could be lost.

The count day in Amsterdam should not have been a surprise.

The fact is that the Netherlands (Holland), the capital of which is Amsterdam, means "low-lying land" in translation, since its territory lies below sea level.

As for Amsterdam, they claim that this city originates from a village on the Amstel River. Allegedly, more than seven hundred years ago, a dam was erected at the mouth of the river, and the place began to be called Amstelledamme, that is, a dam on the Amstel River. The coastline in these places is relatively high, it does not allow the North Sea to spill over into the plain.

However, there is always a possibility that the sea tide or strong winds can push water into the river, and then the river can flood low places. To sweat, they began to erect dams along the banks of the river. First, the eastern dam was built, then the western one. In fact, the city grew up on artificial islands located in a vast swamp, which people fenced off from excess water by artificial structures - dams.