Hotel Pulitzer situated in the Amsterdam canal district listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

AMSTERDAM, August 2010 - The Amsterdam Canal District has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Hotel Pulitzer, a Luxury Collection Hotel is situated in the middle of the area which is now listed on the World Heritage List. The fact that the hotel is situated in this World Heritage area fortifies the unique character of Luxury Collection Hotels.

Since the 1st of August, the Amsterdam Canal District is officially listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was announced at the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasília. The 17th-centrury Canal District is an international icon of urban planning and architecture.

The listing of the Amsterdam Canal District on the UNESCO World Heritage List perfectly fits the history of the monumental houses of Hotel Pulitzer. The old merchant houses that are part of Hotel Pulitzer all tell their own story - closely linked to the general story of Amsterdam. The canals closest to Dam Square were considered more up market. Hence the houses along the Keizersgracht tend to be bigger and more imposing than the houses along the Prinsengracht. Many houses along the Prinsengracht doubled as shops or warehouses, just like some of the houses incorporated into Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam.

About the Amsterdam Canal District
The historic urban ensemble of the canal district of Amsterdam was a project for a new ‘port city' built at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. It comprises a network of canals to the west and south of the historic old town and the medieval port that encircled the old town and was accompanied by the repositioning inland of the city's fortified boundaries, the Singelgracht. This was a long-term program that involved extending the city by draining the swampland, using a system of canals in concentric arcs and filling in the intermediate spaces. These spaces allowed the development of a homogeneous urban ensemble including gabled houses and numerous monuments. This urban extension was the largest and most homogeneous of its time. It was a model of large-scale town planning, and served as a reference throughout the world until the 19th century.

About UNESCO World Heritage List
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.