Amsterdam mayor to give the starting signal for the city’s 750th anniversary on Sunday 

The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, is going to give the starting signal on Sunday for the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the city of Amsterdam. She is going to do this with a speech in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas during a Eucharistic celebration.

The ties between the city and the holy church are centuries old. The church donated the land on which the city's first houses were built. Amsterdam also received city rights around 1300 from the then-bishop.

Pilgrims came to the city after the Miracle of Amsterdam in 1345. That miracle, in which a host vomited by a dying man remained intact a day after it had been thrown onto a fire, is still commemorated every year with a procession called the Stille Omgang.

In 1489, the Austrian emperor Maximilian also went on a pilgrimage to Amsterdam. He gave the city the right to use the imperial crown in its coat of arms. This helped Amsterdam grow into a trading city.

Representatives of other faiths will also participate in the meeting on Sunday. The festive Eucharistic celebration will be broadcast live on NPO2.