Using the toilet here costs €1- avoid if possible!
The striped brick of Magna Plaza’s imposing Neo-Gothic façade is a visual delight; the pear-shaped crowns on the roof have earned it the local nickname Perenburg. The building’s construction was considered a marvel in 1899, with 4,650 piles forming foundations in Amsterdam’s notoriously swampy ground. It functioned as the city’s central post office until 1987, when it was converted into a luxury shopping mall.
Inside are three floors of shops, arranged in arcaded galleries around a magnificent central hall, which is topped by a large skylight. Its boutiques cover plenty of high-fashion brands, as well as everything from books and DVDs to jewellery and souvenirs. There are also a handful of restaurants.
Close to Dam Square, the mall is well worth a visit for the splendid building alone; the shops themselves are rather pricey and perhaps better for browsing than buying, with nearby de Bijenkorf offering a greater selection. A classy feel pervades throughout, however, with a grand piano playing on the ground floor at weekends and a dignified lack of brash advertising.
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