Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 and took control of the country. Some Amsterdam citizens sheltered Jews, thereby exposing themselves and their families to a high risk of being imprisoned or sent to concentration camps.
More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were deported to Nazi concentration camps, of whom some 60,000 lived in Amsterdam. In response, the Dutch Communist Party organized the February strike attended by 300,000 people to protest against the raids.
At the end of the Second World War, communication with the rest of the country broke down, and food and fuel became scarce. Many citizens travelled to the countryside to forage. Dogs, cats, raw sugar beets, and tulip bulbs—cooked to a pulp—were consumed to stay alive. Many trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel, and wood was taken from the houses, apartments and other buildings of deported Jews.
In the spring of 1945, Canadian forces liberated Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands.
These amazing photos from
janwillemsen captured street scenes of Amsterdam in 1940 and 1941.
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| Amsterdam Prins Hendrikkade/Centraal Station, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Amstel near Hogesluis, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Amstel, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam bridge Leidsestraat, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Damrak, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Jordaan street orchestra, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Jordaan street, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Leidsebosje, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Minervaplein, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Nieuwendijk, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Nieuwmarkt, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam old women's house, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Pierement, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam pigeon keeper, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam pile driving, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Prinseneiland, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Prinsengracht facades, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Prinsengracht, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Reguliersgracht at night, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam Reguliersgracht during winter, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam south skyscraper, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam street scenes, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam within Amstel, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam within Amstel, 1940 |
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| Amsterdam C&A, 1941 |
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| Amsterdam in autumn, 1941 |
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| Amsterdam peel cart, 1941 |
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| Amsterdam pony taxi, 1941 |
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| Amsterdam pony taxi, 1941 |
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| Amsterdam tulip sale, spring 1941 |
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