The traditional houses that surround this picturesque square reveal that Sloten was once an independent village before it was absorbed by Amsterdam’s western expansion in the 1950s. The village square is the oldest part of Sloten, its history reaching back as far as the 11th century. It's also home to an ancient water pump and a fire alarm from the 1920s. It may also interest you to know that the tiny house just next to the square is the smallest police station in the Netherlands. Some 20m west of the square, on the corner of Sloterweg and Osdorpweg, you'll find the oldest remaining house of the former village. The sign on the house indicates that the building dates from 1692. When you walk in the opposite direction, about 50m east of the square, you can spot an 18th-century Banpaal. This pillar marked the border of Amsterdam’s jurisdiction and illustrates that Sloten has long been under the influence of the Dutch capital.