Upon my first walk about the city of Amsterdam and on subsequent walks there after, I could not help but notice the "XXX" marked all over the place. Everything from buildings to boats, flags to the bollards that line the streets are emblazoned with this curious mark. Being a novice to the city, I fought the urge to associate it with the red light district. After consulting some Dutch friends (who were of no help) a quick Google search and a few Wikipedia pages later I am now a bit wiser and can relay the symbols true meaning. The triple "X's" have nothing to do with porn, but are in fact three St. Andrew crosses thought to represent Amsterdam's three historic enemies: flood, fire and pestilence, but after the Second World War were changed by Queen Wilhelmina to represent the three virtues of the Dutch people: valiant, determined and compassionate.
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