Walk around Amsterdam, and you’ll see them everywhere: three simple crosses, placed next to each other or stacked vertically. From tacky tourist shops to the carved masonry of ancient gates, these crosses are everywhere in the city. It’s as if Amsterdam has been marked with this logo on every street corner. But what do these crosses actually mean and where do they come from?

In short, the crosses represent Amsterdam, originating from the city's coat of arms. This symbol appears on Amsterdam's flag and is commonly used as a simplified emblem of the city and its identity.

And spoiler-alert: despite what the average drunken tourist might think, the three X’s have nothing to do with the city’s Red Light District. Although they do fit thematically with this small but notorious part of Amsterdam.

Where Did the Three Crosses Come From?

Around the 13th century, the noble family Persijn was ruling the city of Amsterdam and its region. Their coat of arms featured the St. Andrew's crosses and it was around this time that the city adopted a similar design for its own coat or arms.

As the name suggests, St. Andrew's crosses find their origin in Christianity. They are named after St. Andrew, a fisherman and apostle who was martyred on an X-shaped cross in the 1st century AD. Humble Andrew requested a different shaped cross, as he felt unworthy of dying on the same type of cross as Jesus, or so the story goes. This type of cross became associated with him and later appeared in coats of arms, flags, and city emblems. Amsterdam’s use of it may not have been unique, but its consistent and prominent usage certainly was.

Another possible origin of the X is Germanic, as it resembles the runic letter Gyfu. While this connection is possible, it remains unproven.

But why three crosses?

While the origin of the crosses is tied to the Persijn family and in turn to St. Andrew, the meaning of specifically three crosses is less certain. Over time, different interpretations have been proposed, and while none are definitive, some have become widely accepted. The most common theory is that the three crosses stand for the three main threats that historically plagued Amsterdam:

• Fire
• Floods
• The Plague

These were the "big three" disasters that could devastate a medieval city. Displaying the crosses prominently on its flag and coat of arms may have been a symbolic call for protection and perseverance. However, since there are no historical records explicitly confirming this meaning, it remains a plausible, but unproven, interpretation.

A modern icon

A connection can be made between Amsterdam’s three crosses and Modernist or Swiss Style graphic design. Both styles embrace minimalism, clarity, and functionality and that makes design in these styles still feel modern and contemporary. The same design principles align closely with the visual characteristics of the three-cross motif. It's almost as if a Modernist in the 20th century has designed this logomark.

The X itself serves as a pure, geometric form, fitting into Modernist ideals of rational, simple design. In addition, Swiss Style often relies on repetition, symmetry, and balance — all qualities found in the repeated sequence of the three crosses.

Over the centuries, what began as a medieval emblem became a citywide motif. Symbols that endure over centuries often do so because they are simple, bold, and memorable, and the three crosses of Amsterdam certainly fit that pattern.

Keep an eye out on this space for part II, where I dive in more modern branding and design examples of the three-cross motif is used in Amsterdam logo design.