Nice documentary, the dutch guy that replied here gave some essential info for you video. Second: if you don't go in the evening or to the spots where groups tend to hang at night you won't see much anywhere. Third: it would be cool to see a video about you visiting the schilderswijk, den Haag (in the evening ofcourse. My girlfriend used to live there as the only white girl and me being white too. I received many questions if I wanted to die and people ganging up on me, it never led to a fight though. I'm 6"3' and definitely not a pushover but had many unpleasant experiences and was always carrying a weapon. My girlfriend and other white students living some block away never left their homes after dark. Many of our immigrant neighbours didn't either. Many of the older immigrants there are the nicest people I have met. All the shop owners knew me by name and after a year or so we became part of the hood. Left 1000$ of tools on my cars roof... one of the gand would knock my door and hand me over everything, telling me to lock my car. Another time some gang was harassing my girl so i gave them the look, they were looking for a fight until one of the guys stopped them and told them to apologise to the neighbours... that could have ended worse.
I moved from Birmingham to Amsterdam 6 years ago and i don't think i'll ever come back. Even the most 'dangerous' areas are well looked after, the grass is cut, the bike lanes are painted, the bins are actually emptied. The council actually look after the poorest areas, i feel my experience growing up in Birmingham was that the poorer areas we completely neglected. Every time i come back to Brum i shocked at how much rubbish and fly tipping there is and quite how run down it looks in places.
Anywhere can be dangerous if you don't know it you always have to be aware of your surroundings. If you're wandering around lost and looking frightened you are advertising the fact you're a potential victim. Look like you're at home and confident but not looking for trouble
Same every where if the area has a large ethnic population li like Brixton Hackney or moss side its dangerous and you'll get mugged. Gangs want to fight other gangs don't bother them and they're not interested in you
I was born and raised in the Bijlmer. This district has about 100,000 inhabitants, most of whom have a different ethnic background. The Bijlmer was a no-go zone in the 90s. Even taxis from the city center did not want to drive to the Bijlmer. That is why many illegal taxis (snorders) emerged, which are still there. In 1992 there was a turning point, when a Boeing 747 from El Al crashed in the Bijlmer. Many people died in the flats, many of them illegals. The city council was very shocked that they did not know who all lived in the Bijlmer. The flats had been neglected for years, the municipality then decided to demolish some of the flats and build more expensive houses. By building houses in the expensive segment, the municipality hoped that more rich (white) people would move to the Bijlmer. And that is what happened. The Bijlmer also became the second business district of Amsterdam. For example, the bank headquarters of ING, ABN Amro and Deutsche Bank were established in the Bijlmer. The new Ajax stadium was built in the same area, as well as concert and pop venues. The Bijlmer also became the second entertainment area of Amsterdam. The bank offices attracted other headquarters, which meant that during the day there were many people in suits walking around among all the coloured residents. The Bijlmer also became a public transport hub, with an IC station to other Dutch cities such as Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Maastricht, but also to Schiphol. There are also three metro lines in the Bijlmer. But the name Bijlmermeer has been replaced by Amsterdam Zuidoost. Probably because of the bad name Bijlmer.
The city council was not shocked about the illegals living in those flats... The city council was caught redhanded that they allowed this but they pretended not to know... And people believe it like a bunch of kids, slavery never ended
Yes, you are correct in what you write. I arrived in the Netherlands in 1992. Like many formerly neglected non white neighbourhoods in London, the Dutch government has pumped money into the area. Still, during my early years in the Netherlands, I had no issues with the Bijlmer. In fact coming from a Jamaican background, I look like many of the residents of the Biljmer.
I'm British (Birmingham) born, background Jamaican parents, living for years now in the Netherlands. I was once lost in the Bijlmer around midnight with my car with British number plates. I noticed a car following me around. I stopped, the car pulled up beside me. I wound down my window and the guys in the other car in perfect English asked if I was lost. I said I was and they simply directed me on to the correct road. I have been back to the Bijlmer many times and have not for a nano-second felt bothered by it.
@@专业的Ozoneguy I'm from the UK, so I speak English..actually perfect English. Dutch is a second ... well third language for me. Jamaican Patois is my mother language.
if u take it out, the trashcollectors will take it and you have done a good deed. Also see broken window theory to find out why it is important that we all pitch in a little.
If any “Amsterdam Native” calls Bijlmer dangerous, they are not an Amsterdam Native. My caucasian local grandparents were the first to go live there, it has always been pretty good to live there, just a tad isolated from the city. There was a moment in time that some areas became very dodgy, but its actually just more working class than the rest of the city and therefore a little rougher. Go to Amsterdam Nieuw-West between Plein 40-45 and Geuzenveld at night, this is the only dodgy place left. There a few poorer spots in Bijlmer that still have some criminality, but it’s honestly really nothing…
The Bijlmer is one of the worst places in NL (I used to live there too, back in 2001-2002). But saying that is like saying "the worst smelling part in a perfume shop." NL is so nice and so safe, there aren't any no-go-zones anywhere. Sure, some places are worse than others, but compare it to bad neighbourhoods in most other countries and you'll soon agree that The Bijlmer is safe.
@@DondeRob 2001 2002, is not 2020 is it. You are still stuck in the past as many dutch people are. The dutch government and the city council have worked very hard to put criminality to an end, build new housing, demolished some old buildings, put a international amsterdam school there. The place has been nicen up tremendously.
I hung out at Plein 40-45 due to my gf living there for a while before moving to osdorp area and I found it pretty chill tbh, never saw anything suspicious, I hung out there at night too and smoked up with some randoms too
I cant remember of a dutch person not speaking english, all of those I knew back in time spoke english very well to the point that I even thought they were british. Dutch people are the most open and easy to go with I have ever experienced, I have been to Amsterdam for a few months but that was back in 2005, I dont have an idea how Amsterdam looks today and there you are, updating us on that, many many thanks my friend 😎
As a Brit living in the Netherlands, I can confirm that the NL is much cleaner, sophisticated and organised than the UK. The roads are better maintained, the streets are cleaner, neighborhoods are looked after (as we saw in Bijlmermeer, the bushes were trimmed, grass was recently cut, hardly any rubbish around, etc); Dutch taxes are more than in the UK but it seems like you can actually see where your tax money is going. The gap between the rich and the poir isn't as big as it is in the UK too. I'm another Brit that's unlikely to leave the NL and return to the UK.
I lived in both London and The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rotterdam), absolutely The Netherlands all my life, and always in my heart. Hartstikke bedankt 🧡
Aaah, all those positive comments. So sweet 🥰 I used to live in one of those big flats the man at 8:17 pointed to. I got attacked and robbed under that tunnel within the first 3 months. The initial trauma was terrible, later I rephrased it as my initiation. I never had any encounter like that after that. I lived close to and saw the building burning where the plane crashed. A second huge trauma. But it connected me with Bijlmer. I love Bijlmer, during daytime and summer. So many different cultures, such variety in food. Great festivals as well. Mostly great people as well.
Yes. And as a British person living in the Netherlands Dutch is difficult to pick up because as soon as they hear your accent, they immediately start speaking English.
@@haatpraat2993 think thats bacause we love to test our english 😂. me personally love the accent, but ive worked with a scottish person who spoke internally. thats something else😅
@@Jordy020 Ja, ik ben het ermee eens. Ik heb 4,5 jaar in Glasgow, Schotland gewoond. Ik moest 15 maanden wachten voordat ik hen kon begrijpen. In die tijd van mijn leven was het gemakkelijker om Nederlanders te begrijpen
Im a white Dutch man and lived near the Bijlmer in 2016-2017, and would ride my bike through the Bijlmer at night and such. BUT, house hold violance at neighbours houses, there was a shooting in the street. My roommate got mugged and his as kicked by 5 youngsters. And the grocerystore got robbed. I lived there for 8 months.
Everywhere Ive lived in England in my 41 year life has been full of bleak depressing buildings cramped streets, litter, dog feces and general despair. And as we all know, we have to pay for the privilege of all the above 🤢
Scratch that "dog shit" out of the comparison, the Netherlands, too, has an absolutely massive problem with that. You can't step off the tiles and unto the grass besides the most well maintained urban areas, or places that are far away enough that people don't regularly walk their dog there, without having to looking down, constantly on the watch for dogshit. Many sidewalks aren't safe either, especially now snow and leaves are masking that slippery shit.
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You have a few countryside places that beats most of the Netherlands though. But I guess I see your point, there are some areas like that too.
Hey, I’m a British lass who has lived on the other side of Amsterdam for quite a part of her life. It’s quite similar to the Bijlmer except it’s more modern, but you’ll expect some similar stuff to the Bijlmer especially in terms of housing, very social here. But there’s some quite lovely areas here too. Groeten uit Amsterdam van een Britse vrouw ❤
I'm off to the Netherlands in two days. Spent about three months at the start of the year and a good chunk of last year and year before there too. The Netherlands puts Britain to shame - to the point it almost makes me embarrassed to even invite my boyfriend over here! Can't really speak on criminality but in terms of the environment, everywhere is so clean and well looked after. You certainly wouldn't know you were in a "rough" part of town just by looking. Maybe that gives you a bit of a false sense of security but I certainly have never felt frightened just going about my business even as a foreigner in a strange country. Can't say the same about the UK where you can definitely feel like an outsider just in the next town over!
I lived 18 years in the Bijlmer. Came straight from a village in the countryside. Never afraid there. Not even when walking there in the middle of the night. And great food!
Would live in the Netherlands in a heartbeat - maybe not Amsterdam (beautiful but it's a tourist mecca) but a smaller city. The Bijlmermeer doesn't seem bad at all. 'Life in general is much better' - totally correct.
What you're walking through is an area that was once considered less safe but has successfully been cleaned up. I'm not saying it was as bad as other cities but you simply can't compare present day Bijlmer to what it was in the 70s/80s/90s Over half the high rise buildings have been demolished, the massive parking garages are gone. The roads used to be elevated and underneath the roads was a walking area with shops. It was designed to be a very modern looking place designated for the upper class. It wasn't very populair and instead immigrants moved in. At the time there was a heroine epidemic, heavy drug abuse, poverty and many different cultures living together. The flats and infrastructture weren't maintained at all. So when the lights underneath the roads and parking garages stopped working they instantly became places for junkies to hang out. In those days it was normal to see junkies shoot up in the metro, flats or parking garages. Many people moved away, shops left the area and it just became very grim. More and more shootings and stabbings. Metros were completely covered in graffiti as well, people throwing thrash over balconies, no service to clean it up. They ususally did clean ups in summer when all the garbage would start to smell bad. The flats were cockroach infested and just dirty. I was born there and lived there for the first 15 year of my life from 75 till 1990. My parents wanted to move out because of the criminality and the mess it was. In the last year we lived there our flat got broken into, car got broken into twice and eventually stolen, my mother was robbed by a junkie that put a machete to her throat. That was it, we moved out. The day the moving company came to carry out our belongings one of their guys got shot. I visit every once in a while and it's nothing like it was. It looks, feels and is very safe now. Even though just a day ago there was a massive shoot out with automatic guns.
Brilliant again Oli , it’s amazing just how many speak English and how good their English is. I think your video shows (to me at least) that hard times are not conducive with bad behaviour, I think that’s controlled in the home, quite a respectable place with genuinely nice and open people, thanks Oli 👍🏻
@@WendallExplores Yeah, it sure does! My hometown is absolutely dire. All I see in my area are people with this look of despair on their faces. There's no real jobs in the area other than hit and miss agency work, zero contracts and poxy part time hours if you're lucky. People are walking around aimlessly not knowing what to do for the best. Even if more people were prepared to start their own business, I doubt it would last any length of time due to high rents, cost of living prices for electricity/heating and so forth. also, with less money about and so many people struggling financially, you'd be lucky to break even. It's so sad to see such decline right across the Country (UK).
@@vanessahenderson1850 England is screwed. If you guys had guns like the US, with your population density; you will be even worse than US. I can see it.
I was over in Amsterdam years ago. I was about 28 years old. I spent ages in the square and there was every nationality. I can honestly say that I felt safe even though there was loads of people there. There was a huge police presence too and I only saw a couple of guys being slung into a police van. The police certainly didn't mess about that's for sure. It was proper policing.
Lived in Amsterdam for 3 years for work and it's a wonderful place to live, so clean , people really take care of their environment and their is a real sense of collectivism, as Mark Rutger once said "if everyone sweeps their own front yard the whole world is clean" that was in relation to the Greek debt crisis but relevant to all areas of life.
Wendall, have you considered videos on "ordinary-average" places around the UK, where Criminality, degradation, and hopelessness is not the main theme? I was born in Walsall, and have lived in North Wales. Whats "normality" in UK cities is a far cry from a lot of Britain. Come to Anglesey, you will find lack of employment, you will find alcoholism, you wont find dangerous places. You can even wear a Wolvs or WBA shirt in any pub thats showing a midlands team playing a welsh team... and you won't get beaten up or stabbed!!
If not getting beated or stabbed, is the standard of safe, there is something not right. Being polite, respectful and helping each other should be the aim.
I’ve walked the streets of Amsterdam at 3am with a big group of lads and it’s a scary place I’m not gonna lie some dangerous people roam the streets and alleys
I worked in Apeldoorn for 6 months back in 2016 and it really opened my eyes as to how far the UK had sunk in comparison. It was such a clean, friendly and well run town compared to anywhere in South Eastern England at that time. The thought of going back to the UK filled me with such quiet despair that I ended up moving straight to Canada where I’ve been ever since. I’m now a proud Canadian citizen and have no plans to go back. Sorry to see the UK has continued its steady decline. So many great people left treading water as the ship slowly sinks
I find the south east of England the most unfriendly and boring part of the UK. Up north in England in places like the Lake District and the Peak District and the Yorkshire dales are much nicer and friendlier. Even though there is less money I find the north of England more beautiful than the south east of England. The south east of England doesn’t have much countryside and is mostly flat. It is the opposite up North
@@lifetruthseeking5808 True that. I used to work in Halifax and the folks were dead friendly compared to us “darn sarf” but there was still a lot of litter and general decay. Magnificent buildings that belonged to another age but a lot of folks struggling to get by even then due to the poor economy. Beautiful countryside though
@@skrapadelix yes the poverty in the north is what let’s it down. It has always been the poorer part of England since the end of the industrial revolution
@@margaretthatcher6828 yep, the globalist plan is in full swing here BUT I’m rural off-grid with my own land and water, no planning permission required for most things I do, still have gun ownership and most importantly I don’t have to register my 40+ chickens. For me, it’s still a win at present
Hello Wendel . I am Dutch myself and grew up near Rotterdam and lived near Amsterdam for 20 years. I have now lived in The Hague for 10 years. The Bijlmer was quite dangerous 20 years ago, but I think The Hague / Oostbroek North and Rotterdam South are more dangerous in the evening than Amsterdam's Bijlmer.
@@WendallExploresThat would be exciting. My neighborhood sometimes reminds me of videos from Birmingham. People hrow their trash in the streets at night.. They tried to pickpocket me twice this year. And most people prefer to stay indoors at night. Liverpool is paradise compair to my town.
@@trip-tripper The funny thing is that I think that the Schilderswijk in The Hague is known as the worst district of The Hague in the Netherlands. If you really look at the figures, my neighborhood comes out the worst: Rustenburg/Oostbroek. 70% don't even speak Dutch. There have been 3 stabbings in my street alone this year. But in England it is certainly much worse.
I’ve worked around there and had a good look around the Bijlmer while there. I also found it to be safe. But I did finally come across bullet holes in the window of the coffee shop near the train station. Apparently 20 years ago it was worse- guys from work used to be escorted through the Bijlmer to the train station by security guards for protection. You’re 20 years too late
@@beebee2781 The government allowed some big companies to build offices there, those big companies helped bring some life into the area. They are still there.
The Bijlmer used to be the worst back in the 90s. Even cops preferred to avoid driving there. It's changed a lot for the better. Now the new-west area is by far the worst. Kolenkitbuurt, Geuzenveld, Osdorp etc. Have only cycled through those neighborhoods a few times, but still never felt safe. Always felt like I had to look around me, behind me, the people in the distance etc. Doesn't feel like Amsterdam at all. There it's very depressing and the people there also...
Am italian and used to live there, i can honestly say it was one of the best areas i lived in, i even miss it. The strong point as someone stated is the “social” aspect of the area, lots of opportunities to talk to others and mingle. Beautifull mix of ppl from everywhere, and the concept of building among “parks” is just awesome.
@@WendallExplores kinda of a ball ache of course but better than walking over a dead rat using a Jonnie as a raincoat … putting the great in Great Britain
They are not really council estates. Despite government trying to appropriate the housing for it's political plans lately, social housing in the Netherlands is done by private not for profit associations and foundations since the beginning of the 20th century.
@@gingerseanie and we also have many many rats in Amsterdam. Some as big as small cats. They say there's more rats than people since certain ratpoison is recently prohibited 😅
As someone else has commented, the Bijlmer isn't anywhere near as dodgy as it was about 20 years ago. It had a really bad rep back then and I had some bad experiences there. Also like one guy said a lot of those old high rise blocks were demolished, I recall one in Ganzenhoef in 2002 which had been emptied out prior to demolition, but was then full of squatters for a time. Btw those blocks weren't built in the 50s, they didn't start construction of the Bijlmer until the late 60s. But even 10 years ago that had changed. I left NL in 2018 btw and returned to the UK. I was living in Diemen so technically not the Bijlmer, not even Amsterdam council, but it's on the metro routes serving the Bijlmer and pretty much surrounded by it. I noticed that there were expats on the metro going to stations in the Bijlmer (because they were talking amongst each other in Euro English not Dutch) and also tourists staying in air b&bs in the Bijlmer, so yes it isn't like it used to be.
Couldn't agree more with the guy around the 10 min mark. I'm from Essex but lived in Amsterdam for 5 years in my early 20s, Bijlmer for 1.5 years, noord for 2 years, Oost for a year. All the so-called dangerous places in Amsterdam, never showed me so much as a ropey moment, even as an irresponsible young adult, out at all hours of the day. Dutch "ghetto" today, just means "predominantly non-white".
glad to see you enjoyed my country. I would say Amsterdam really doesnt feel the same as the rest of the Netherlands. My hometown of Nijmegen (or periphery) is much more laid back still. But, compared to your other video's....yeah I think you're quite right in saying that even the more notorious neighbourhoods in NL are quite safe, quite open. We're far from perfect but we try and take care of our people, I would like to think. Speaking of 'our people': nail on its head, mate. As I see from your vids in UK, Amsterdam too has quite a lot of people who *say* it's more notorious or bad. Where as a matter of fact, there's just a lot of nice people who are from different backgrounds.
Londoner all my life.. Went to Amsterdam and loved it, the place and the people are really cool. Definitely will go back and explore more of the Netherlands. I felt much safer and less paranoid there than here.. well except for the bicycles :P
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Amsterdam has only about a million inhabitants though, while London has around 10 mill, depending on how you count. Not so strange that London seems more chaotic.
I watch your channel regularly. I'm from Luton, and I work for a landlord who deals with ta, temporary accommodation for Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes councils. If you haven't been, you must visit Northampton. It is without doubt a complete ghetto. Areas of St george street, St Michael's Rd. Craven St, you'll see unbelievable squalor. Luton has a much more of a community experience. Northampton is next level.
London, Liverpool,Amsterdam,New York. There are dangerous places. I live in one of the highest crime areas in London but it's home to me and don't feel threatened. You grow up there you learn to read your surroundings and spot potential situations im a pensioner nowadays but still wander though the back streets on my way home from the pub.you can get robbed outside Buckingham Palace as easily as Peckham rye
Pay more council tax ,no chance to the overpaid robbers most of Cornwall council tax goes on council pensions and none of them do a decent days work, most council employees I've ever met are entitled obnoxious and obstructive 50 quid a week to get your bins empted .
I lived in NL for 5 years. Yes there is a lot of immigrants in NL...but the difference to the UK is that in NL the government pay much higher level of government assistance...people are,better off , richer..so the housing estates and towns are better.
I think you paint a slightly old/wrong picture of modern Birmingham… yes there are not so looked after social housing areas that have some litter etc but most these days have improved massively… the towers have been knocked down and mixed housing of private and affordable housing been build or old towers been renovated and nice green spaces maintained…. I’m from nice areas in London originally but have lived in Brum for a very long time now and absolutely love the city, ans it has some of the nicest, friendliest people I’ve have ever met
I lived in Holland for couple of years. The one big difference with the Dutch, is the politics. The way i always viewed the Netherlands is they simply do not subscribe to an us and them society. The bar tender and shop worker act and live like the bar and shop owner, you wouldn't be able to tell much difference. They are not held down on wages or treated as subservient like they are in the UK - the Dutch people would never allow those class based attitudes.. its much more socialist but the Rich get taxed to the hilt, they're, giving sometimes nearly 50% back to the state - hence why its clean and everything runs efficiently. If anything Holland is a little stale because of this , outside of Amsterdam I'd even say it's a bit of boring place but a good place.
I was brought up in Liverpool but now reside in St Helens. If this is rough to the Dutch, then I'd love for some of them to see parts of Kensington or look at how run down Anfield looks, or even some parts of St Helens with Darbyshire hill. They'd faint. Good and bad parts to 'rough areas' everywhere.
we stayed at biljmer in 2018 felt as safe as houses, we even went back to go see an Ajax game and the train station is a stunner, compared to the uk its night and day.
Wendall the UK population already pays very high council tax, Problem is a lot are not paying it, usually the ones who are trashing it! Everything looks a lot more relaxed in and tidy in the Netherlands, like the UK was 20 years ago, must be our bad government /councils feeding the fat cats salaries and spending poorly making bad choices.
The whole council tax is a scam. It goes to central gov to then be dished back out. And then what is 'given' back is often ringfenced on certain agenda-fuelled projects. That's why you have councils spending millions on making places that don't need to be 20mph zones and on EV chargers rather than sorting the potholes!
Exactly. Would I pay more, to make things look like in this video…? NO! We already get fleeced! The extra income from rates going up even more, won’t end up fixing the problems they were meant for. They’d probably pay for more hotels for migrants, more translation services in hospitals etc, and if there’s any left, it’ll end up boosting the salary of the council leaders. How much money from speed cameras actually go to fixing the roads? FUCK ALL, so why would this be any different?
Let's also not forget that most councils right across the UK are now bankrupt. I came across an upload on YT a few days ago for the local council where I live. It was sickening to watch. I was literally sat here thinking to myself, I wonder how many people in total have their noses in the trough all giving it the big talk but no action with their pathetic regeneration projects. All I see when I'm out and about is shops/buildings still being left to rot, scaffolding and plastic barriers and roads/paths being dug up. At the heart of what's supposed to be the town centre, it took them over 2.5 years to actually finish the regeneration project for that area and now we've still got a bridge that's nowhere near finished. That alone, will no doubt take them another couple of years to complete. It riles me that people are paying council tax and services are being cut to the bone. Everywhere looks so deprived and I'm now seeing more homeless than ever before along with more business closures. It's so sad to see.
That's a great insight to how Amsterdam are doing in comparison to the UK, are you venturing around Europe now? It will be very interesting to see what is actually going on rather than watching and reading fake news. We in the Uk are drowning and that is because it's a small island, and I don't think people get that, there's only so many sardines you can fit in a tin. Thank you Wendall
I visited Amsterdam in April for the first time and was shocked. Let's just say the protests in the square had nothing to do with Europeans or the Dutch people. And let's just say if I was vocal about the shopkeepers sweeping their rubbish into the street we were severely outnumbered. Not a comfortable position to be in with your girlfriend and a huge eye opener
@@NorthernLycanthrope outnumbered? By who people who don't look like you or who are not European? and you're afraid they will outnumber you? That's quite a strange mindset to have
As somebody whose visited Amsterdam many times and even lived in Oosterpark for a short time, I'd say, in general that since in the shadow of Geert Wilders, the city has seen a considerable improvement. I first visited the city in the mid 90's and felt safe, but over the coming decade and on numerous revisits I felt more than a little air of unease walking in some areas of the city after dark. The murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in the mid noughties was when it felt really tense and extremely off putting to walk around after dark. I visited some of my Dutch friends this year, one of whom has now relocated and lives in Utrecht, which incidentally is a city I fell in love with and will be much more likely to stay in on my next visit than Amsterdam despite its improvement.
@ 10:32 you passed a building that I used to live in. I could see Amsterdam Arena from my balcony. It used to be a project where troubled youth who were at risk of being sucked into crime were housed. It was pretty bad back then (2001-2002). Bijlmer is one of those places where the crimerates are very high, in comparison to most other places in NL. But it's still fairly safe when compared to bad neighbourhoods in most other countries.
1994 class trip from Germany to Amsterdam was like a culture shock. Many asian and black immigrants which we hadn't in masses in Germany at that time, security guards at random supermarkets and a gang of elderly arab youths chasing us through the red light district until a "lady" kept us safe in her etablissement till they gone. Scheveningen Alkmaar and Dordrecht where nicer and friendlier.
No non-white immigrants in Germany in 1994? What part of Germany are we talking here? Surely not the big cities. I was in Berlin-Kreuzberg a lot in those days and basically everyone in that part of town was either Turkish or a hippy, and a good deal of the latter were African-American ex US soldiers (great jazz scene, I might add); on the other side of the wall Lichtenberg had a huge Vietnamese community, and as for NRW, read Guenter Walraff's 'Ganz unten'. Sounds far more like small town kid goes to big city than any difference between countries.
It's such a pity about the UK. The UK is very social class driven. It is unbelievable. A very depressing feature of life in the UK is that many kids of a certain socio-economic background aren't just motivated to do well in life. In the classrooms and on the streets of Britain, one can easily tell what socio-economic backgrounds these kids are from. The social and economic opportunities available in Britain don't mean a thing to such kids. They arrive in school very grumpy in the morning. Throughout the day, they seem disinterested in learning. They can't wait to get back home and resume having a thrill on their Xboxes. The politicians don't seem bothered either. Stories about the social and economic decline of the UK is very real and are everywhere now.
The Bijlmer has cleaned up about 20 years ago. The t shirt guy is right, people dont start nothing for nothing. If you do want some thrills, you should have gone to strandvliet/venserpolder shopping centre, Holendrecht shopping centre and H-buurt at night, then there was a slight chance for something to see.
Amsterdam does not really have any ghettos or no-go areas, but if any would qualify it's the New-West area where mostly Moroccans and other muslims live. Here you will not be allowed to film and police will usually tell you to leave if you insist. You will probably be attacked if you try it anyway.
In the early nineties, the Bijlmer WAS a No Go area....Nowadays it is a lot better. Used to come there from late eighties to early tens as a (now clean) dopehead... G buurt, H buurt F buurt etc etc WAS dangerous back then. I actually JUST left the Groeneveen flat THROUGH Kruitberg flat when 4 minutes later the plane crashed.
The other side of Bijlmer you got a financial district with lots of big companies. Man Bijlmer in the summer we have a festival with all types of food and music and concerts. It's chill.
Great video as always. A nice and clean place... Shame Lewis decided to use the ground to drop his cigarette butt at 09.31. Keep up the good work. One of the best channels on here. I love the bicycle and pedestrian first culture. Maybe this is what's lacking in the UK. People not just driving through. Again Ace work Wendall and thanks Lewis.
When you mentioned, to the kids, about South London I remembered why I love Amsterdam: it's such a huge contrast to here haha. My peace of mind was just on a constant Cloud 9 the whole time. The people and culture is so lovely.
Nah I don't think so as firstly I'm pretty sure that there is still intelligence sharing between Dutch & UK authorities even though we've left the EU, secondly he wouldn't be on yt if he were wanted. It has been the case in the past though and a few British criminals were arrested in NL/Amsterdam and extradited. A few years back there was some tv series made about this, I think it was a UK tv series. Anyway whilst interviewing a police officer in front of the newish police station on NZ Voorburgwal (after Warmoesstraat police station was closed), and not just any police officer but the one on the team specialised in looking for foreign crims on the run, a guy walked past behind the cameraman who was a wanted criminal from the UK, and he was arrested. Pretty stupid really to be strolling in central Amsterdam, I guess he thought with all the tourists he'd be anonymous three.
As a Dutch guy, was opening this video like: I wonder which area is dangerous in Amsterdam? Haven't encountered one. The Bijlmer hasn't been dangerous since the 90s.
I live there. Never had a problem. One or two junkies ask for a cigarette sometimes. I grew up in Casal ventoso in Lisbon, and by far that was hell on heart ( there's videos on UA-cam about THAT ghetto). Here is safer than London, without a doubt.
I’m from Scunthorpe, and it’s nothing out of the ordinary, plenty of immigrants a few drunks etc , typical of most towns in the uk. In fact after viewing these vlogs it’s the same everywhere.
Bijlmer or better Amsterdam Zuidoost is mainly inhabited by Surinamese , Ghanian , Nigerian and other people with South American background. Lately international and national students / expats are moving in. Interesting neighbourhood. Good food and market.
I have only been to Amsterdam twice once in the 70s and again in the 80s, had no problems in the daytime but at night got approached several times at night by groups of black bloke's which was really scary. Nothing happened luckily but on one occasion i was just buying a pkt of cigs in a shop and when i walked out of the shop i was surrounded by a group of black blokes and i noticed one bloke had a knife in his hand, i quickly made my move and got to my hotel which was next to the shop.
Go to saily.com/wendall and use the code WENDALL to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase.
Just get a Lebara Sim in the Netherlands
Nice documentary, the dutch guy that replied here gave some essential info for you video.
Second: if you don't go in the evening or to the spots where groups tend to hang at night you won't see much anywhere.
Third: it would be cool to see a video about you visiting the schilderswijk, den Haag (in the evening ofcourse. My girlfriend used to live there as the only white girl and me being white too.
I received many questions if I wanted to die and people ganging up on me, it never led to a fight though. I'm 6"3' and definitely not a pushover but had many unpleasant experiences and was always carrying a weapon. My girlfriend and other white students living some block away never left their homes after dark. Many of our immigrant neighbours didn't either.
Many of the older immigrants there are the nicest people I have met. All the shop owners knew me by name and after a year or so we became part of the hood.
Left 1000$ of tools on my cars roof... one of the gand would knock my door and hand me over everything, telling me to lock my car.
Another time some gang was harassing my girl so i gave them the look, they were looking for a fight until one of the guys stopped them and told them to apologise to the neighbours... that could have ended worse.
you want high organized crime you need to go to east Amsterdam where the Moroccan's are.
I moved from Birmingham to Amsterdam 6 years ago and i don't think i'll ever come back. Even the most 'dangerous' areas are well looked after, the grass is cut, the bike lanes are painted, the bins are actually emptied. The council actually look after the poorest areas, i feel my experience growing up in Birmingham was that the poorer areas we completely neglected. Every time i come back to Brum i shocked at how much rubbish and fly tipping there is and quite how run down it looks in places.
Birmingham is rapidly becoming one of the most disgusting cities on the planet. I moved away 11 years ago, never to return.
I feel the same even if I've just been on a holiday fov2 weeks the moment I return to Britain I'm hit by the rubbish and state of the streets 😅
Anywhere can be dangerous if you don't know it you always have to be aware of your surroundings. If you're wandering around lost and looking frightened you are advertising the fact you're a potential victim. Look like you're at home and confident but not looking for trouble
Could you imagine a gang of British youths talking to a foreigner in his own language 😅 didn't think so 😂
Same every where if the area has a large ethnic population li like Brixton Hackney or moss side its dangerous and you'll get mugged. Gangs want to fight other gangs don't bother them and they're not interested in you
I was born and raised in the Bijlmer. This district has about 100,000 inhabitants, most of whom have a different ethnic background. The Bijlmer was a no-go zone in the 90s. Even taxis from the city center did not want to drive to the Bijlmer. That is why many illegal taxis (snorders) emerged, which are still there. In 1992 there was a turning point, when a Boeing 747 from El Al crashed in the Bijlmer. Many people died in the flats, many of them illegals. The city council was very shocked that they did not know who all lived in the Bijlmer. The flats had been neglected for years, the municipality then decided to demolish some of the flats and build more expensive houses. By building houses in the expensive segment, the municipality hoped that more rich (white) people would move to the Bijlmer. And that is what happened. The Bijlmer also became the second business district of Amsterdam. For example, the bank headquarters of ING, ABN Amro and Deutsche Bank were established in the Bijlmer. The new Ajax stadium was built in the same area, as well as concert and pop venues. The Bijlmer also became the second entertainment area of Amsterdam. The bank offices attracted other headquarters, which meant that during the day there were many people in suits walking around among all the coloured residents. The Bijlmer also became a public transport hub, with an IC station to other Dutch cities such as Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Maastricht, but also to Schiphol. There are also three metro lines in the Bijlmer. But the name Bijlmermeer has been replaced by Amsterdam Zuidoost. Probably because of the bad name Bijlmer.
The city council was not shocked about the illegals living in those flats... The city council was caught redhanded that they allowed this but they pretended not to know... And people believe it like a bunch of kids, slavery never ended
Yes, you are correct in what you write. I arrived in the Netherlands in 1992. Like many formerly neglected non white neighbourhoods in London, the Dutch government has pumped money into the area. Still, during my early years in the Netherlands, I had no issues with the Bijlmer. In fact coming from a Jamaican background, I look like many of the residents of the Biljmer.
This should definitely be in the video.
Dutchy myself and was coming to say something like this.
Loved the 90's in the Bijlmer
Great summary!
I'm British (Birmingham) born, background Jamaican parents, living for years now in the Netherlands. I was once lost in the Bijlmer around midnight with my car with British number plates. I noticed a car following me around. I stopped, the car pulled up beside me. I wound down my window and the guys in the other car in perfect English asked if I was lost. I said I was and they simply directed me on to the correct road. I have been back to the Bijlmer many times and have not for a nano-second felt bothered by it.
Need to ask as a fellow Black Brit from Leeds same background as you how safe is it for people like us I want to get out of this country 😂
Do you speak Dutch, or can you use English?
@@专业的Ozoneguy I'm from the UK, so I speak English..actually perfect English. Dutch is a second ... well third language for me. Jamaican Patois is my mother language.
it was a bit of a ghetto 20 years ago but not any more
@@haatpraat2993 yeah, I'm 3rd generation Brit from Jamaica. I only speak English and Spanish, but I'm learning Dutch.
lived here 35 years never had a problem .you walked past my apartment the one with the shopping trolley in the water .its still there today
if u take it out, the trashcollectors will take it and you have done a good deed. Also see broken window theory to find out why it is important that we all pitch in a little.
@@crealizecoaching they took it away last week
Dutch ghettos look better than pretty much everywhere in the UK
Nonsense.
Absolutely and it feels like an American movie in the center of New York
Not really @@truckerfromreno
@@truckerfromreno very modern environment
@@truckerfromreno
He's clearly an idiot
If any “Amsterdam Native” calls Bijlmer dangerous, they are not an Amsterdam Native. My caucasian local grandparents were the first to go live there, it has always been pretty good to live there, just a tad isolated from the city. There was a moment in time that some areas became very dodgy, but its actually just more working class than the rest of the city and therefore a little rougher.
Go to Amsterdam Nieuw-West between Plein 40-45 and Geuzenveld at night, this is the only dodgy place left. There a few poorer spots in Bijlmer that still have some criminality, but it’s honestly really nothing…
The Bijlmer is one of the worst places in NL (I used to live there too, back in 2001-2002). But saying that is like saying "the worst smelling part in a perfume shop." NL is so nice and so safe, there aren't any no-go-zones anywhere. Sure, some places are worse than others, but compare it to bad neighbourhoods in most other countries and you'll soon agree that The Bijlmer is safe.
@@DondeRob 2001 2002, is not 2020 is it. You are still stuck in the past as many dutch people are. The dutch government and the city council have worked very hard to put criminality to an end, build new housing, demolished some old buildings, put a international amsterdam school there. The place has been nicen up tremendously.
I hung out at Plein 40-45 due to my gf living there for a while before moving to osdorp area and I found it pretty chill tbh, never saw anything suspicious, I hung out there at night too and smoked up with some randoms too
Dutch people are boss. Always had a great time when hanging out with them.
Coolest people on the planet
I cant remember of a dutch person not speaking english, all of those I knew back in time spoke english very well to the point that I even thought they were british. Dutch people are the most open and easy to go with I have ever experienced, I have been to Amsterdam for a few months but that was back in 2005, I dont have an idea how Amsterdam looks today and there you are, updating us on that, many many thanks my friend 😎
As a Brit living in the Netherlands, I can confirm that the NL is much cleaner, sophisticated and organised than the UK. The roads are better maintained, the streets are cleaner, neighborhoods are looked after (as we saw in Bijlmermeer, the bushes were trimmed, grass was recently cut, hardly any rubbish around, etc); Dutch taxes are more than in the UK but it seems like you can actually see where your tax money is going. The gap between the rich and the poir isn't as big as it is in the UK too. I'm another Brit that's unlikely to leave the NL and return to the UK.
so did you move just on a 90 day visiting visa, or a work visa ? that lasts how long ? .... how does it work
We pay alot of taxes to maintain this
@@mazzmuzz3035 indeed but at least it feels like you can see where your tax money is actually going unlike in other countries.
@@violent_world fortunately I moved here prior to BRexit so was able to get my rights protected under the withdrawal agreement.
@@scottg3456 ahhh i see, well timed !
I lived in both London and The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rotterdam), absolutely The Netherlands all my life, and always in my heart. Hartstikke bedankt 🧡
Absolutely so much more hedonism, fun and cultures
Witch city you like more and wotch city is most "ghetto"?
Nou gesellig joh 😊.
Groeten vanuit het pittoreske Brussel.
Defenitely Rotterdam, every city has small or bigger getto's, but Rotterdam stands out on criminality, especially south Rotterdam@@heldermonteiro9527
Graag gedaan he
Aaah, all those positive comments. So sweet 🥰 I used to live in one of those big flats the man at 8:17 pointed to. I got attacked and robbed under that tunnel within the first 3 months. The initial trauma was terrible, later I rephrased it as my initiation. I never had any encounter like that after that. I lived close to and saw the building burning where the plane crashed. A second huge trauma. But it connected me with Bijlmer. I love Bijlmer, during daytime and summer. So many different cultures, such variety in food. Great festivals as well. Mostly great people as well.
The dutch speak better english than the English 😂😂😂😂
u wot m8
Yes. And as a British person living in the Netherlands Dutch is difficult to pick up because as soon as they hear your accent, they immediately start speaking English.
The Dutch are the best English speakers in Europe.
@@haatpraat2993 think thats bacause we love to test our english 😂. me personally love the accent, but ive worked with a scottish person who spoke internally. thats something else😅
@@Jordy020 Ja, ik ben het ermee eens. Ik heb 4,5 jaar in Glasgow, Schotland gewoond. Ik moest 15 maanden wachten voordat ik hen kon begrijpen. In die tijd van mijn leven was het gemakkelijker om Nederlanders te begrijpen
Im a white Dutch man and lived near the Bijlmer in 2016-2017, and would ride my bike through the Bijlmer at night and such.
BUT, house hold violance at neighbours houses, there was a shooting in the street. My roommate got mugged and his as kicked by 5 youngsters. And the grocerystore got robbed. I lived there for 8 months.
Everywhere Ive lived in England in my 41 year life has been full of bleak depressing buildings cramped streets, litter, dog feces and general despair. And as we all know, we have to pay for the privilege of all the above 🤢
Scratch that "dog shit" out of the comparison, the Netherlands, too, has an absolutely massive problem with that. You can't step off the tiles and unto the grass besides the most well maintained urban areas, or places that are far away enough that people don't regularly walk their dog there, without having to looking down, constantly on the watch for dogshit. Many sidewalks aren't safe either, especially now snow and leaves are masking that slippery shit.
You have a few countryside places that beats most of the Netherlands though. But I guess I see your point, there are some areas like that too.
welcome to cardigan
Hey, I’m a British lass who has lived on the other side of Amsterdam for quite a part of her life. It’s quite similar to the Bijlmer except it’s more modern, but you’ll expect some similar stuff to the Bijlmer especially in terms of housing, very social here. But there’s some quite lovely areas here too.
Groeten uit Amsterdam van een Britse vrouw ❤
I'm off to the Netherlands in two days. Spent about three months at the start of the year and a good chunk of last year and year before there too. The Netherlands puts Britain to shame - to the point it almost makes me embarrassed to even invite my boyfriend over here! Can't really speak on criminality but in terms of the environment, everywhere is so clean and well looked after. You certainly wouldn't know you were in a "rough" part of town just by looking. Maybe that gives you a bit of a false sense of security but I certainly have never felt frightened just going about my business even as a foreigner in a strange country. Can't say the same about the UK where you can definitely feel like an outsider just in the next town over!
There are a lot of parts where it really looks rough I been to London before but also saw a lot of good looking areas
I lived 18 years in the Bijlmer. Came straight from a village in the countryside. Never afraid there. Not even when walking there in the middle of the night. And great food!
If that’s a dangerous hood then I’m a millionaire
Bussum,wow lovely❤❤❤
As a Dutch person I agree
You know nothing about amsterdam do some good research
@@Dumarooverdus je wilt zeggen dat hier niks gebeurd en dat Nederland geen Narco staat is ?
Lol😂😂😂
Would live in the Netherlands in a heartbeat - maybe not Amsterdam (beautiful but it's a tourist mecca) but a smaller city. The Bijlmermeer doesn't seem bad at all. 'Life in general is much better' - totally correct.
100%
What you're walking through is an area that was once considered less safe but has successfully been cleaned up. I'm not saying it was as bad as other cities but you simply can't compare present day Bijlmer to what it was in the 70s/80s/90s Over half the high rise buildings have been demolished, the massive parking garages are gone. The roads used to be elevated and underneath the roads was a walking area with shops. It was designed to be a very modern looking place designated for the upper class. It wasn't very populair and instead immigrants moved in. At the time there was a heroine epidemic, heavy drug abuse, poverty and many different cultures living together. The flats and infrastructture weren't maintained at all. So when the lights underneath the roads and parking garages stopped working they instantly became places for junkies to hang out. In those days it was normal to see junkies shoot up in the metro, flats or parking garages. Many people moved away, shops left the area and it just became very grim. More and more shootings and stabbings. Metros were completely covered in graffiti as well, people throwing thrash over balconies, no service to clean it up. They ususally did clean ups in summer when all the garbage would start to smell bad. The flats were cockroach infested and just dirty. I was born there and lived there for the first 15 year of my life from 75 till 1990. My parents wanted to move out because of the criminality and the mess it was. In the last year we lived there our flat got broken into, car got broken into twice and eventually stolen, my mother was robbed by a junkie that put a machete to her throat. That was it, we moved out. The day the moving company came to carry out our belongings one of their guys got shot. I visit every once in a while and it's nothing like it was. It looks, feels and is very safe now. Even though just a day ago there was a massive shoot out with automatic guns.
.
Brilliant again Oli , it’s amazing just how many speak English and how good their English is. I think your video shows (to me at least) that hard times are not conducive with bad behaviour, I think that’s controlled in the home, quite a respectable place with genuinely nice and open people, thanks Oli 👍🏻
Wonderful city, puts UK to shame
@@WendallExplores Yeah, it sure does! My hometown is absolutely dire. All I see in my area are people with this look of despair on their faces. There's no real jobs in the area other than hit and miss agency work, zero contracts and poxy part time hours if you're lucky. People are walking around aimlessly not knowing what to do for the best. Even if more people were prepared to start their own business, I doubt it would last any length of time due to high rents, cost of living prices for electricity/heating and so forth. also, with less money about and so many people struggling financially, you'd be lucky to break even. It's so sad to see such decline right across the Country (UK).
@@vanessahenderson1850 England is screwed. If you guys had guns like the US, with your population density; you will be even worse than US. I can see it.
The house of orange has a control structure that would get a smile even from the likes of "gatesy"@@WendallExplores
The Dutch grow up on American and British cinema and TV. By the time they are 12 or 13 years they are fluent in English.
I was over in Amsterdam years ago. I was about 28 years old. I spent ages in the square and there was every nationality. I can honestly say that I felt safe even though there was loads of people there. There was a huge police presence too and I only saw a couple of guys being slung into a police van. The police certainly didn't mess about that's for sure. It was proper policing.
It's a lot better than UK, more friendly people around and more clean, unlike the UK is dirty
Environment makes the people. If you maintain a good environment you make it easier for people to be good.
Not true
Both the UK and NL seems to have a sort of "base friendlyness" that seems almost the same to me.
So sad what is happening in England 😢
Lived in Amsterdam for 3 years for work and it's a wonderful place to live, so clean , people really take care of their environment and their is a real sense of collectivism, as Mark Rutger once said "if everyone sweeps their own front yard the whole world is clean" that was in relation to the Greek debt crisis but relevant to all areas of life.
Lived in Bijlmer for six months in 91, never felt unsafe walking there, good times.
The Bijlmer has improved a lot since the 80's in my opinion !
Absolutely love the Netherlands! Had many good times there. Fantastic place, lovely people.
I would say that Brussels and Paris both have more dangerous areas than Amsterdam.
Wendall, have you considered videos on "ordinary-average" places around the UK, where Criminality, degradation, and hopelessness is not the main theme?
I was born in Walsall, and have lived in North Wales. Whats "normality" in UK cities is a far cry from a lot of Britain.
Come to Anglesey, you will find lack of employment, you will find alcoholism, you wont find dangerous places. You can even wear a Wolvs or WBA shirt in any pub thats showing a midlands team playing a welsh team... and you won't get beaten up or stabbed!!
If not getting beated or stabbed, is the standard of safe, there is something not right. Being polite, respectful and helping each other should be the aim.
alcholism & drug addiction is away off lif here in cardigan if your not well they look at if your weird
Seeing all these people riding bicycles is definitely different than my city.
It annoying asf when your on foot there
@mrmareegs3267 why? There are bikepaths and footpaths, you just need to stay in your own lane😂
@@Lilygirl283Tell this to the bicycle fanatics!
@@Lilygirl283 easier said when your not stoned lol
You need to go out at night. You never see anything in the day time.
Trust me lol. Dam doesn’t warm up till 6pm
@@Big_AL_Nowitzki Je weet niks kkr toeri
@@simonh6371your mother knows me though lol. I go dam every quarter since 2007 what do you know
glad its cool there now stop baitin danger
I’ve walked the streets of Amsterdam at 3am with a big group of lads and it’s a scary place I’m not gonna lie some dangerous people roam the streets and alleys
I worked in Apeldoorn for 6 months back in 2016 and it really opened my eyes as to how far the UK had sunk in comparison. It was such a clean, friendly and well run town compared to anywhere in South Eastern England at that time. The thought of going back to the UK filled me with such quiet despair that I ended up moving straight to Canada where I’ve been ever since. I’m now a proud Canadian citizen and have no plans to go back. Sorry to see the UK has continued its steady decline. So many great people left treading water as the ship slowly sinks
Canada is next...
I find the south east of England the most unfriendly and boring part of the UK. Up north in England in places like the Lake District and the Peak District and the Yorkshire dales are much nicer and friendlier. Even though there is less money I find the north of England more beautiful than the south east of England. The south east of England doesn’t have much countryside and is mostly flat. It is the opposite up North
@@lifetruthseeking5808 True that. I used to work in Halifax and the folks were dead friendly compared to us “darn sarf” but there was still a lot of litter and general decay. Magnificent buildings that belonged to another age but a lot of folks struggling to get by even then due to the poor economy. Beautiful countryside though
@@skrapadelix yes the poverty in the north is what let’s it down. It has always been the poorer part of England since the end of the industrial revolution
@@margaretthatcher6828 yep, the globalist plan is in full swing here BUT I’m rural off-grid with my own land and water, no planning permission required for most things I do, still have gun ownership and most importantly I don’t have to register my 40+ chickens. For me, it’s still a win at present
I think the news is that even the worst neighborhoods in the Netherlands are nicer than most cites elsewhere... 🤷♂
Enjoyed that Wendall, great content buddy 👏
Hello Wendel .
I am Dutch myself and grew up near Rotterdam and lived near Amsterdam for 20 years.
I have now lived in The Hague for 10 years.
The Bijlmer was quite dangerous 20 years ago, but I think The Hague / Oostbroek North and Rotterdam South are more dangerous in the evening than Amsterdam's Bijlmer.
Maybe I’ll head back, check them out 👍
@@WendallExploresThat would be exciting.
My neighborhood sometimes reminds me of videos from Birmingham.
People hrow their trash in the streets at night..
They tried to pickpocket me twice this year.
And most people prefer to stay indoors at night.
Liverpool is paradise compair to my town.
If you’re really looking to get robbed around here you should go to Rotterdam Zuid.
I agree. I've lived all over nl.
Rotterdam zuid / slinge
Although still not as exciting as UK 🇬🇧
@@trip-tripper The funny thing is that I think that the Schilderswijk in The Hague is known as the worst district of The Hague in the Netherlands.
If you really look at the figures, my neighborhood comes out the worst: Rustenburg/Oostbroek.
70% don't even speak Dutch.
There have been 3 stabbings in my street alone this year.
But in England it is certainly much worse.
I’ve worked around there and had a good look around the Bijlmer while there. I also found it to be safe. But I did finally come across bullet holes in the window of the coffee shop near the train station. Apparently 20 years ago it was worse- guys from work used to be escorted through the Bijlmer to the train station by security guards for protection. You’re 20 years too late
What helped it improve?
@@beebee2781 The government allowed some big companies to build offices there, those big companies helped bring some life into the area. They are still there.
Sad, such a fall from grace of britain, Amsterdam is cool, really clean and chilled nice people.
Great city, great people
How has Britain fallen from grace?
@@standardprocedure7017 Bad Governments .They work for the globalists not the people
To fall, it first had to be there.
People are chill when you let them smoke
The Bijlmer used to be the worst back in the 90s. Even cops preferred to avoid driving there. It's changed a lot for the better.
Now the new-west area is by far the worst. Kolenkitbuurt, Geuzenveld, Osdorp etc. Have only cycled through those neighborhoods a few times, but still never felt safe. Always felt like I had to look around me, behind me, the people in the distance etc. Doesn't feel like Amsterdam at all. There it's very depressing and the people there also...
When I went, I just got stoned every day for 6 days and each time forgot where I was staying
When i read that first i thought of people throwing stones at you lol
@@anthonydowling3356😂😂
@@anthonydowling3356 lmao
I have been three times, smoking, drinking & one time, I had the funniest time on mushrooms. Also, I've a vague recollection of each weekend away.
😂😂
Am italian and used to live there, i can honestly say it was one of the best areas i lived in, i even miss it. The strong point as someone stated is the “social” aspect of the area, lots of opportunities to talk to others and mingle. Beautifull mix of ppl from everywhere, and the concept of building among “parks” is just awesome.
Wish council estates looked this good ! Dutch way more superior with style and cleanliness
Paid for with sky high taxes 👌
@@WendallExplores kinda of a ball ache of course but better than walking over a dead rat using a Jonnie as a raincoat … putting the great in Great Britain
They are not really council estates. Despite government trying to appropriate the housing for it's political plans lately, social housing in the Netherlands is done by private not for profit associations and foundations since the beginning of the 20th century.
@@gingerseanie and we also have many many rats in Amsterdam. Some as big as small cats. They say there's more rats than people since certain ratpoison is recently prohibited 😅
@@muncibedduSicilia all lies.
As someone else has commented, the Bijlmer isn't anywhere near as dodgy as it was about 20 years ago. It had a really bad rep back then and I had some bad experiences there. Also like one guy said a lot of those old high rise blocks were demolished, I recall one in Ganzenhoef in 2002 which had been emptied out prior to demolition, but was then full of squatters for a time. Btw those blocks weren't built in the 50s, they didn't start construction of the Bijlmer until the late 60s.
But even 10 years ago that had changed. I left NL in 2018 btw and returned to the UK. I was living in Diemen so technically not the Bijlmer, not even Amsterdam council, but it's on the metro routes serving the Bijlmer and pretty much surrounded by it. I noticed that there were expats on the metro going to stations in the Bijlmer (because they were talking amongst each other in Euro English not Dutch) and also tourists staying in air b&bs in the Bijlmer, so yes it isn't like it used to be.
Read #MarrakeshCompact
Read #MarrakeshCompact
Couldn't agree more with the guy around the 10 min mark. I'm from Essex but lived in Amsterdam for 5 years in my early 20s, Bijlmer for 1.5 years, noord for 2 years, Oost for a year. All the so-called dangerous places in Amsterdam, never showed me so much as a ropey moment, even as an irresponsible young adult, out at all hours of the day. Dutch "ghetto" today, just means "predominantly non-white".
we do not think in colours
glad to see you enjoyed my country. I would say Amsterdam really doesnt feel the same as the rest of the Netherlands. My hometown of Nijmegen (or periphery) is much more laid back still. But, compared to your other video's....yeah I think you're quite right in saying that even the more notorious neighbourhoods in NL are quite safe, quite open. We're far from perfect but we try and take care of our people, I would like to think.
Speaking of 'our people': nail on its head, mate. As I see from your vids in UK, Amsterdam too has quite a lot of people who *say* it's more notorious or bad. Where as a matter of fact, there's just a lot of nice people who are from different backgrounds.
Ive been Amsterdam twice andon both occasions i found the people really friendly and the city is beautiful
Londoner all my life.. Went to Amsterdam and loved it, the place and the people are really cool. Definitely will go back and explore more of the Netherlands. I felt much safer and less paranoid there than here.. well except for the bicycles :P
Amsterdam has only about a million inhabitants though, while London has around 10 mill, depending on how you count. Not so strange that London seems more chaotic.
the most dangerous situation for Brits in Zuidoost is that there is not enough good coffeeshops.
I watch your channel regularly. I'm from Luton, and I work for a landlord who deals with ta, temporary accommodation for Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes councils.
If you haven't been, you must visit Northampton. It is without doubt a complete ghetto.
Areas of St george street, St Michael's Rd. Craven St, you'll see unbelievable squalor. Luton has a much more of a community experience. Northampton is next level.
Good to hear that about Luton, I keep hearing bad things
I love the Netherlands, been there many of times and i am trying to move there ASAP from Australia.
London, Liverpool,Amsterdam,New York. There are dangerous places. I live in one of the highest crime areas in London but it's home to me and don't feel threatened. You grow up there you learn to read your surroundings and spot potential situations im a pensioner nowadays but still wander though the back streets on my way home from the pub.you can get robbed outside Buckingham Palace as easily as Peckham rye
Even inside Buckingham Palace !
Pay more council tax ,no chance to the overpaid robbers most of Cornwall council tax goes on council pensions and none of them do a decent days work, most council employees I've ever met are entitled obnoxious and obstructive 50 quid a week to get your bins empted .
Spent Week there met three white guys said they were Dutch but spoke English probably nice place 60 yrs ago
I lived in NL for 5 years. Yes there is a lot of immigrants in NL...but the difference to the UK is that in NL the government pay much higher level of government assistance...people are,better off , richer..so the housing estates and towns are better.
you were an immigrant too when you were there by the way
@@ossamakalimi7295Thats right Real talk 👏🏾👏🏾
That's because holland is a much smaller place and less people then in the uk.
I think you paint a slightly old/wrong picture of modern Birmingham… yes there are not so looked after social housing areas that have some litter etc but most these days have improved massively… the towers have been knocked down and mixed housing of private and affordable housing been build or old towers been renovated and nice green spaces maintained…. I’m from nice areas in London originally but have lived in Brum for a very long time now and absolutely love the city, ans it has some of the nicest, friendliest people I’ve have ever met
I lived in Holland for couple of years. The one big difference with the Dutch, is the politics. The way i always viewed the Netherlands is they simply do not subscribe to an us and them society. The bar tender and shop worker act and live like the bar and shop owner, you wouldn't be able to tell much difference. They are not held down on wages or treated as subservient like they are in the UK - the Dutch people would never allow those class based attitudes.. its much more socialist but the Rich get taxed to the hilt, they're, giving sometimes nearly 50% back to the state - hence why its clean and everything runs efficiently. If anything Holland is a little stale because of this , outside of Amsterdam I'd even say it's a bit of boring place but a good place.
I agree, Holland is like a bourgeois society, in a good way.
Lived in Amsterdam for 5 years…walked everywhere day and night never felt “in danger” not once.
I was brought up in Liverpool but now reside in St Helens. If this is rough to the Dutch, then I'd love for some of them to see parts of Kensington or look at how run down Anfield looks, or even some parts of St Helens with Darbyshire hill. They'd faint. Good and bad parts to 'rough areas' everywhere.
3:41 you actually pronounced it correctly, my compliments.
Love your content im from australia keep it up you never disapoint ❤
UK is that shit wendall said fuck it i'll go to Europe.
🤣🤣
'Go to Europe' ? Where are you now ?
City's in the states and England are going downhill fast Amsterdam looks good ❤❤❤
we stayed at biljmer in 2018 felt as safe as houses, we even went back to go see an Ajax game and the train station is a stunner, compared to the uk its night and day.
Wendall the UK population already pays very high council tax,
Problem is a lot are not paying it, usually the ones who are trashing it! Everything looks a lot more relaxed in and tidy in the Netherlands, like the UK was 20 years ago, must be our bad government /councils feeding the fat cats salaries and spending poorly making bad choices.
The whole council tax is a scam. It goes to central gov to then be dished back out. And then what is 'given' back is often ringfenced on certain agenda-fuelled projects. That's why you have councils spending millions on making places that don't need to be 20mph zones and on EV chargers rather than sorting the potholes!
Exactly. Would I pay more, to make things look like in this video…? NO! We already get fleeced! The extra income from rates going up even more, won’t end up fixing the problems they were meant for. They’d probably pay for more hotels for migrants, more translation services in hospitals etc, and if there’s any left, it’ll end up boosting the salary of the council leaders. How much money from speed cameras actually go to fixing the roads? FUCK ALL, so why would this be any different?
Let's also not forget that most councils right across the UK are now bankrupt. I came across an upload on YT a few days ago for the local council where I live. It was sickening to watch. I was literally sat here thinking to myself, I wonder how many people in total have their noses in the trough all giving it the big talk but no action with their pathetic regeneration projects. All I see when I'm out and about is shops/buildings still being left to rot, scaffolding and plastic barriers and roads/paths being dug up. At the heart of what's supposed to be the town centre, it took them over 2.5 years to actually finish the regeneration project for that area and now we've still got a bridge that's nowhere near finished. That alone, will no doubt take them another couple of years to complete. It riles me that people are paying council tax and services are being cut to the bone. Everywhere looks so deprived and I'm now seeing more homeless than ever before along with more business closures. It's so sad to see.
@@vanessahenderson1850we’re slowly turning into the USA, minus the gun laws.
I am from Amsterdam, I think the UK is completely lost and in no way at all a paradise. I work at Bijlmer, it's completely safe to be at.
That's a great insight to how Amsterdam are doing in comparison to the UK, are you venturing around Europe now? It will be very interesting to see what is actually going on rather than watching and reading fake news. We in the Uk are drowning and that is because it's a small island, and I don't think people get that, there's only so many sardines you can fit in a tin. Thank you Wendall
You do know England is much bigger than the Netherlands
Or did you think the Netherlands was bigger? England is still bigger than most countries in Europe believe it or not
England is bigger than Belgium and the Netherlands put together in area
I visited Amsterdam in April for the first time and was shocked. Let's just say the protests in the square had nothing to do with Europeans or the Dutch people. And let's just say if I was vocal about the shopkeepers sweeping their rubbish into the street we were severely outnumbered. Not a comfortable position to be in with your girlfriend and a huge eye opener
@@NorthernLycanthrope outnumbered? By who people who don't look like you or who are not European? and you're afraid they will outnumber you? That's quite a strange mindset to have
There are very beautiful apartments in the Bijlmer, many people want to live there, they did a lot on safety , it has improved , green scenery
3:41 mate, your pronunciation of Bijlmer is spot on
You visited the neighbourhood which is famous for being fixed up over a decade ago. We dont call the Bijlmer a ghetto anymore, thats so 1999
As somebody whose visited Amsterdam many times and even lived in Oosterpark for a short time, I'd say, in general that since in the shadow of Geert Wilders, the city has seen a considerable improvement. I first visited the city in the mid 90's and felt safe, but over the coming decade and on numerous revisits I felt more than a little air of unease walking in some areas of the city after dark. The murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in the mid noughties was when it felt really tense and extremely off putting to walk around after dark. I visited some of my Dutch friends this year, one of whom has now relocated and lives in Utrecht, which incidentally is a city I fell in love with and will be much more likely to stay in on my next visit than Amsterdam despite its improvement.
@ 10:32 you passed a building that I used to live in. I could see Amsterdam Arena from my balcony. It used to be a project where troubled youth who were at risk of being sucked into crime were housed. It was pretty bad back then (2001-2002). Bijlmer is one of those places where the crimerates are very high, in comparison to most other places in NL. But it's still fairly safe when compared to bad neighbourhoods in most other countries.
1994 class trip from Germany to Amsterdam was like a culture shock. Many asian and black immigrants which we hadn't in masses in Germany at that time, security guards at random supermarkets and a gang of elderly arab youths chasing us through the red light district until a "lady" kept us safe in her etablissement till they gone. Scheveningen Alkmaar and Dordrecht where nicer and friendlier.
you're lying
@@ossamakalimi7295 You don't like it doesn't mean it's a lie. By the way blaming others as liars is maybe common in your culture but not in Europe.
Well its alot of surinamese and antillian people who were born here and stuff ya know you can search it up
@@ossamakalimi7295and you KNOW he is because ....?
No non-white immigrants in Germany in 1994? What part of Germany are we talking here? Surely not the big cities. I was in Berlin-Kreuzberg a lot in those days and basically everyone in that part of town was either Turkish or a hippy, and a good deal of the latter were African-American ex US soldiers (great jazz scene, I might add); on the other side of the wall Lichtenberg had a huge Vietnamese community, and as for NRW, read Guenter Walraff's 'Ganz unten'. Sounds far more like small town kid goes to big city than any difference between countries.
It's such a pity about the UK. The UK is very social class driven. It is unbelievable. A very depressing feature of life in the UK is that many kids of a certain socio-economic background aren't just motivated to do well in life. In the classrooms and on the streets of Britain, one can easily tell what socio-economic backgrounds these kids are from. The social and economic opportunities available in Britain don't mean a thing to such kids. They arrive in school very grumpy in the morning. Throughout the day, they seem disinterested in learning. They can't wait to get back home and resume having a thrill on their Xboxes. The politicians don't seem bothered either. Stories about the social and economic decline of the UK is very real and are everywhere now.
Amsterdam is one of the SAFEST least threatening cities in the world. Go to Germany Frankfurt Hamburg Berlin and you gonna see some real danger 😂
Challenge accepted
@@WendallExplores Frankfurt is known locally as Crackfurt 😂
@@Realworldnews247 creative 💡
Yes absolutely. But germans in general aren't this open to talk to a camera. But i would like to see it.
@@64Odw watch youtuber Spanian in Frankfurt
The Bijlmer has cleaned up about 20 years ago. The t shirt guy is right, people dont start nothing for nothing. If you do want some thrills, you should have gone to strandvliet/venserpolder shopping centre, Holendrecht shopping centre and H-buurt at night, then there was a slight chance for something to see.
I usually stay at a friend's place in Gein when I visit the Netherlands but go to Bijlmermeer every time. I love the it there.
Amsterdam does not really have any ghettos or no-go areas, but if any would qualify it's the New-West area where mostly Moroccans and other muslims live. Here you will not be allowed to film and police will usually tell you to leave if you insist. You will probably be attacked if you try it anyway.
I lived in the Bijlmeer in early 90s and was pretty quiet then compared to estates in the UK
In the early nineties, the Bijlmer WAS a No Go area....Nowadays it is a lot better. Used to come there from late eighties to early tens as a (now clean) dopehead... G buurt, H buurt F buurt etc etc WAS dangerous back then. I actually JUST left the Groeneveen flat THROUGH Kruitberg flat when 4 minutes later the plane crashed.
A high Crime rate doesn't mean a place is dangerous.
Yes it does.
because there is not a lot of crime there. It has been taken care of.
The other side of Bijlmer you got a financial district with lots of big companies. Man Bijlmer in the summer we have a festival with all types of food and music and concerts. It's chill.
looks 5 star compared to every city in the uk
Bijlmer is not different from any other place, it’s just a normal liveable place
I love visiting the Biljmer for a walk round and some food👍🤙
Great video as always. A nice and clean place... Shame Lewis decided to use the ground to drop his cigarette butt at 09.31. Keep up the good work. One of the best channels on here.
I love the bicycle and pedestrian first culture. Maybe this is what's lacking in the UK. People not just driving through. Again Ace work Wendall and thanks Lewis.
You need to do Brussels.
Brussels is crap!
@@Lilygirl283 What do you know?
Anyone who says De Bijlmer is dangerous is just ignorant. It use to be, but now it is as safe as any other suburb..
Way nicer than the UK. Way nicer.
When you mentioned, to the kids, about South London I remembered why I love Amsterdam: it's such a huge contrast to here haha. My peace of mind was just on a constant Cloud 9 the whole time. The people and culture is so lovely.
Make money not friends ! That’s a stray soul there 😞
What’s wrong with that?
Sad*
These Britons probably moved there to evade the law and/or for the more relaxed attitude towards recreational drugs amongst other things.
Exactly
Nah I don't think so as firstly I'm pretty sure that there is still intelligence sharing between Dutch & UK authorities even though we've left the EU, secondly he wouldn't be on yt if he were wanted. It has been the case in the past though and a few British criminals were arrested in NL/Amsterdam and extradited. A few years back there was some tv series made about this, I think it was a UK tv series. Anyway whilst interviewing a police officer in front of the newish police station on NZ Voorburgwal (after Warmoesstraat police station was closed), and not just any police officer but the one on the team specialised in looking for foreign crims on the run, a guy walked past behind the cameraman who was a wanted criminal from the UK, and he was arrested. Pretty stupid really to be strolling in central Amsterdam, I guess he thought with all the tourists he'd be anonymous three.
...and? you talk poo son. There are drugs every where in England. The war on drugs was lost decades ago. if folk are happy.. why shoot them down?
Who cares why they moved there it's not important
@simonh6371 there is a very big brittish drug connection in AMS & Netherlands. Often when on the run, they end up captured over that way.
As a Dutch guy, was opening this video like: I wonder which area is dangerous in Amsterdam? Haven't encountered one. The Bijlmer hasn't been dangerous since the 90s.
i thought that Pele died in 2022 lol.
Alive and well in Bijlmermeer
I live there. Never had a problem. One or two junkies ask for a cigarette sometimes. I grew up in Casal ventoso in Lisbon, and by far that was hell on heart ( there's videos on UA-cam about THAT ghetto). Here is safer than London, without a doubt.
You should go to Scunthorpe mate if you want rough!
And Grimsby. Both areas are really bad.
his done grimsby
I’m from Scunthorpe, and it’s nothing out of the ordinary, plenty of immigrants a few drunks etc , typical of most towns in the uk. In fact after viewing these vlogs it’s the same everywhere.
Bijlmer or better Amsterdam Zuidoost is mainly inhabited by Surinamese , Ghanian , Nigerian and other people with South American background. Lately international and national students / expats are moving in. Interesting neighbourhood. Good food and market.
I have only been to Amsterdam twice once in the 70s and again in the 80s, had no problems in the daytime but at night got approached several times at night by groups of black bloke's which was really scary. Nothing happened luckily but on one occasion i was just buying a pkt of cigs in a shop and when i walked out of the shop i was surrounded by a group of black blokes and i noticed one bloke had a knife in his hand, i quickly made my move and got to my hotel which was next to the shop.
They only want to sell you shite cocaine never seen them actually harm anyone tbf 😂
The older guy who told him “no not at all. absolutely!” is one of the biggest music publishers in the country.
i lived in Amstelveen which has a bad reputation but i loved it nothing ever happened to me there
Amstelveen has a bad reputation?!?! Since when? Amstelveen is one of the richest and safest neighbourhoods in all of the Netherlands
15:02 bro’s trying too get you killed😭😭😭😭😭
Interesting vid.
I moved from Bedford UK 🇬🇧 to NL in 2004.
Always felt it much more chill here compared to 🇬🇧
I'm here to stay 🇳🇱