Built between 1881 and 1889, Amsterdam Centraal station sits on three man-made islands supported by nearly 9,000 wooden piles. It was Designed by Pierre Cuypers, the same architect behind the Rijksmuseum, the station features a similar Gothic-Renaissance style. Its red-brick façade, ornate towers, and intricate reliefs were intended to give the building a palace-like appearance, signaling Amsterdam's importance to arriving travelers.