This work presents the spatial development of Amsterdam through a series of historical and newly drawn maps, from its humble beginnings as a small port town around the year 1200 to the present-day metropolis and beyond. It details the steady urban growth of the powerful mercantile centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, its regional and global reach, and renewed growth in the late 19th century after a period of decline. In the 20th century, Amsterdam was one of the first cities in the world where urban planning was guided by modernist principles regarding light, air, and space, while today its expansion is marked by artificial islands and successful redevelopment.