schip

The schip — the ship — was the engine of Dutch global power. In 1602, the VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) was founded in Amsterdam with a fleet of 98 ships, creating the world's first multinational corporation and the world's first stock exchange.

What made the VOC revolutionary wasn't just its size — it was its financing. For the first time in history, ordinary citizens could buy shares in a commercial enterprise. A fisherman, a baker, a widow — anyone could own a piece of global trade. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, housed in a building on the Rokin, became the financial centre of the world.

At its peak, the VOC operated 4,785 ships, employed 50,000 people, and maintained a private army. Its ships sailed to Indonesia, Japan, India, South Africa, and Brazil. The warehouses along Amsterdam's Entrepotdok stored spices, silk, and porcelain.

The dark side of this maritime empire included colonial exploitation, the slave trade, and environmental destruction. Modern Amsterdam is reckoning with this legacy.