What started as a humble grass strip in the first part of the 20th century has now evolved into a massive hub of transportation connecting all of Europe. Watch this beautiful rendering visualize the evolution of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol over its one hundred year history.
The international airport located in Netherlands opened exactly 100 years ago on September 16, 1916 as a military base in support of the first World War. After the first world war ended, the airport began to see so many civilian operations that it had completely lost its role as a military facility by the start of WWII.
In 1940 the airport was captured by the German military and by the end of WWII airport and its four runways were completely destroyed from bombing. In less than ten years it was rebuilt and was given its new name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, when it was decided it would become the main airport of the Netherlands.
Over the years the airport has seen a huge expansion and has become the fifth busiest airport in Europe. The passenger terminal has seen several renovations and has a unique feature for such a large airport. Schiphol uses a one-terminal concept where all the departure ramps are located under a single roof radiating from a central plaza. The airport also houses an entire ramp for general aviation, a museum center, a library and a shopping plaza.
This century long transformation is quite amazing to witness but we can only imagine what we’ll see in the next video in one hundred years from today.
