Amsterdam is one of the most well-known cities in the world. But often, people have a very narrow view of what you can do or see in Amsterdam. One of the places often overlooked in Amsterdam is de Bijlmer, and if people do hear about it, they are often advised to stay away from there for safety reasons. But is this reputation really valid or outdated? Watch me in this video spend a day in de Bijlmer, with my friend Dior who is born and raised there!
Big thanks to Tare for helping me film, if you’re in the Netherlands and need a videographer, check out her page here: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01c479de19037fb868
Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @exploringtheforeign
Email: contact@exploringtheforeign.com
Buy Me a Coffe: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/exploringtf
00:00 History of de Bijlmer
01:13 Introducing Dior
01:47 Amsterdamse Poort
02:00 Is de Bijlmer really a ghetto?
03:22 Shopperhal
04:53 How is growing up in de Bijlmer?
06:23 Ganzenhoef Market
07:13 How has de Bijlmer changed over the years?
08:01 Smeltkroes 2.0
10:04 Were you ashamed of de Bijlmer?
11:12 Holendrecht
11:56 What’s the future of de Bijlmer?
12:26 Would you raise your kids in de Bijlmer?
#amsterdam #bijlmer #netherlands
Lee Martin 
Courtney Real 
Marian Hopkins
Through this experience, I was able to witness how unique of a place de Bijlmer is in the Netherlands. What's your view of/experience in de Bijlmer?
It NEVER was a ghetto, that stigma was placed on it by you know who wanting to compare it what they saw in American media, if you want to know the truth about the area you should speak with the generations that are 40 and older.
That eating scene was a waste of minutes. You could have used that time to tell something more about the subject of the video.
Would not even want to be found dead there, it is one big ghetto, also you black thats why they leave you alone😂 It is not save at all for white people therez everybody knows that.
Dutch people won't say it because they think they're post-racism but Bijlmer was fairly deliberately segregated from the rest of Amsterdam, even though it was originally imagined as a family middle income suburb of the future. As soon as it was clear that the target group was not interested, they knew what to do with it. Surinamese people didn't to go live in de Bijlmer, they were put there. Out of the way, where white people didn't have to "deal" with them.
For years this neighbourhood was synonymous with Black people (and in the mind of the people; lower class/lower income people). Today still, actually for many people. It was far from the centre, the bike paths were scarce and on top of that long and boring, public transport was not great (and even till this date stops running at midnight, even on weekends, leaving only some double the price and unheimisch night busses which makes it near impossible for people from de Bijlmer to participate in Amsterdam night life that is centered in de Bijlmer itself). The people of de Bijlmer really made the neighbourhood their own though, organizing their own events and festivals and developing a real Bijlmer culture, despite the lack of respect and resources they got from the city.
Nowadays it's getting more and more gentrified since housing there is more affordable and even more affluent people and/or white people who would've otherwise not considered de Bijlmer go for housing in the area. Better than Nieuw-West, also more affordable, because at least the metro runs to de Bijlmer and things are going on and it has personality whereas Nieuw-West is dead any day of the week. Nieuw-West is quickly developing to be the "New Bijlmer" – the neighbourhood where we expect crime, where we expect poor people to be. But really, where marginalized people are forced together in poor conditions compared to the rest of the city.
I think "ghettos" in the Netherlands are often recognizable mostly by well kept grass, new construction houses, long streets with either absolutely no recognizable landmarks or some community out reach art piece that no one gets. Often neighbourhoods with little personality. Bijlmer really became de Bijlmer as we know it now because of its people. It wasn't until they pulled it together and showed they weren't giving up on the neighbourhood, that the city started investing with community funds.
It's shitty because social safety nets keep getting smaller or straight up abolished and rather than solving issues, issues just get pushed around or blamed on either this or that group. Nieuw-West has as much as a chance to become a real neighbourhood, just like de Bijlmer did, but that was not that big a chance honestly and they could be having a bigger chance if the city gave a shit.
I love Amsterdam but it's not immune to racism, classism and neo-liberal thought politics. Not by a long shot. Thirty years ago, Amsterdam police was still torturing people inside the police stations on the regular. Shit can change, but it doesn't change that fast.
Lived in Kleiburg for a year in the mid-'80's. It was very very dangerous and depressing in those days. Bijlmer still has a reputation, but it has massively improved over recent decades. Parts of Nieuw-West and Noord are way worse these days. That's all relative though: Last week i saw a video about Kensington Av. (Philadelphia) and i couldn't/can't believe what's happening in the US. Very very sad.
Was born in Amsterdam and spend the first 2-3 years of my life living in the Echtenstein flat in the Bijlmer, my parents decided a year prior to the Bijlmerdisaster to move to Almere. My mom once told me that she called a friend of hers who still lived in the Bijlmer, in the flat that got torpedoed by the airpline. She told her friend that she had a bad feeling, and kind of begged her to move away from the Bijlmer. A month before the disaster she moved out. Escaping the disaster.
In the past a lot of black people and people form Morocco and Turkey have lived there. Later on they moved to Lelystad or Almere. The Bijlmer is known for the black people,
status holders and old status holders who live there. Not a safe place to walk around in the evening or the night. There is reason why a lot of people left the Bijlmer.
Love this video! De Bijlmer is an area to be very proud of as a country. Groetjes uit Scheveningen!
Wat een fijne opname en toelichting, zeg! Dit heeff mijn negatieve kijk op de Bijlmer toch wenzenlijk veranderd! Ga ik nu zeker bezoeken. Hoop dan ook, dat de mensen er net zo sympathiek zijn als de beide interviewers.
I was born in Suriname , raised in Amsterdam-Bijlmer! Thanks for showing this to the people whom talking negative about the Bijlmer.
Bimre Big Up!
I lived in the Bijlmer from ‘85 until ‘96. Believe me, it was the Kruger park. Raping, killing, robbery, fights, stealing, dealing, everything what had to do with filth was there. It was a hard time for us. The biggest problem were created by the people from Curaçao and Surinam. The quitte black community were the Ghanese, from them you never had problems. They try to make it look nice these days, you can change the looks, but the breed is still there.
It looks absolutely delightful <3
Great job and thank you for sharing. I traveled to Amsterdam last year and stayed at the Apollo Hotel and did not check out De Bijlmer. Next year I will be back to check it out.
By far one of your best videos dude.
Never liked the bijlmer to much criminals and ugly
Just saw a YT about some areas of Philadelphia, I mean that makes the Bijlmer like a gated community
I always loved the Bijlmer, because it’s so open and green.
dude were you in Leiden some week ago?
If you were I probably passed you by with your gf, I wasn't sure if it was you and I didn't wanna either interrupt you or startle an innocent stranger. 😀
@Sam i got a question for you. A copple of years ago i went to NYC. There i did the hiphop tour and ended up in Harlem. We visited a soulfood place. I was in heaven with the ribs and colslaw. Since you are American and seem to like food. (Your videos) Do you like soulfood and if so. Is there any place in the netherlands that you would recommend? Thank you for reading greetings Hein.
Another lovely video . I remember as a little kid (that's a long long time ago)i went with my dad to go to Kraaiennest. Where his girlfriend lived. And yes ! We went with the all new subway ! From Amsterdam Central station. Later i worked at the Kraaiennest and Amsterdamse poort streetmarket. Beginning of the 90's. I was great fan of the sandwiches. Broodje fasjong/ bakkeljauw met peper en zuur. Yes it was more rough in those days but also the Zeedijk and Nieuwmarkt was totally different. The heroin pandamic did a lot of bad things to all neighborhoods. Now a days all of Amsterdam looks like a Disney world compared to the 80's ! March this year i went to Bullewijk to see Cherryblossom trees. Instead i ended up at a place called vleskeuken. WOW the bbq meat was out of this world! Loved the video❤
the community vibes your guest got, is similar to the north part of amsterdam. Due to the 'IJ' north has always been closed of of the city. Its also known for having neighborhoods with high poverty rate, although thats changing now, since north is being restructured to fit the city more. Hence the north south line.
you should visit
I love this vid! Im Surinamese and been waitin for you to try some Su Food! Shoutout to the homie for letting him taste Saoto! Add the ketjap next time!
Im a white kid from rotterdam south and all my friends are Moroccan or Surinamese or from the islands. It's all about where you're from
This suprised me a bit.
As a dutch citizen i have heard bad things about the bijlmer in the past.
But the last 10-15 years not so much.
Never thought much about it but i assumed it was getting worse and would be a real getto by now.
Its nice to see that plans from city government to make it better actually worked.
We dont see that often.