GRACHTENGORDEL

Description

Essentials about the Grachtengordel in brief

It is what makes Amsterdam so distinctive and certainly one of the most beautiful and unique sights in the whole world: Amsterdam’s Grachtengordel (the Canal Belt). The system of canals – called “Grachten” in Dutch – runs through the entire inner city of Amsterdam and is considered exemplary architecture of the Golden Age of the Netherlands in the 17th century. Because of its similarity to the canals of Venice, the Grachtengordel earned Amsterdam the nickname “Venice of the North.” Such a world-class sight is, of course, also part of the UNESCO World Heritage. A boat trip through the canals is an absolute must during a visit to Amsterdam. But also a walk along the canals is a wonderful experience.

The history of the Grachtengordel

Historically, the Grachtengordel dates back to the need to make room for Amsterdam’s rapidly growing population in the early 17th century and also to facilitate the inner-city movement of goods. Amsterdam was, after all, one of the world’s largest transhipment centers for goods at the time. While the city’s old canals were still constructed as defensive ditches, the new canals were intended to facilitate the transport of goods to and from the merchants’ houses and warehouses that were built directly along the canals. In addition, the canals also served to drain the now reclaimed marshland and functioned as an open, appropriately unappetizing cesspool. Although the canal water was partially renewed by the changing tides, additional help had to be provided via sluices.

Until the beginning of the 17th century, the medieval moat called Singel represented the western boundary of the city. In 1612, on the initiative of the mayor of Amsterdam, work began on laying out three new main canals in the wasteland outside the Singel: The Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht. The construction work lasted more than 40 years. In 1658, the breakthrough was made to the Amstel River and then further east to the Oostelijke Eilanden. This gave the city its unique canal system with its typical concentric semicircles. The three new main canals are connected by more than 150 transverse canals and almost 1,300 bridges span the entire canal system.

Between the Herengracht and Prinsengracht canals, wealthy merchant and banker families settled on the newly won land, which was divided into narrow, often identical plots and sold at a high price. West of the Singel, along the Herengracht, one finds the most splendid canal houses in the entire city, with the most beautiful gable decorations. Only the most influential merchants could settle here in the 17th century. In the Keizersgracht, named after Emperor Maximilian I, and the Prinsengracht, named after the princes of the House of Orange, stand much more modest, but no less worth seeing historic houses.

At the same time as the canals were laid out, the factories were moved from the city center to the marshy area beyond the posh canal area, and a workers’ residential district was built there. The French-speaking Huguenots who settled in Amsterdam are said to have called this district “jardin” (meaning “garden”), which was later verbalized to “Jordaan.” Today, the Jordaan is one of the most beautiful and popular residential areas in Amsterdam.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, some 70 canals were filled in because they were no longer needed, silted up, or the health of residents was threatened by standing, polluted water. Now that the entire city has long been connected to the sewage system, the water in the canals has been renewed once a week by a pumping station since 1872, and the city fathers have become aware of the attractiveness of the canals for tourism, there have been repeated attempts and plans to restore these old canals, although this has so far failed due to the considerable costs involved.

Until today, only wealthy citizens can afford to live in one of the magnificent canal houses. Therefore, in addition to wealthy private individuals, many companies (especially banks, insurance companies and law firms) have settled along the canals. It is (perhaps) somewhat cheaper to live in a residential boat. There are now over 2,000 of these boats with electricity and water connections in the canals.

The sights on the Grachtengordel

Museum Willet-Holthuysen and Museum Van Loon

Some of the canal houses have since been converted into museums and provide insights into the life of the “better society” of the 17th and 18th centuries. The former homes of two well-known merchant families, now the Museum Willet-Holthuysen and the Museum Van Loon, display original furnishings and the art collections of their former inhabitants.

Westerkerk, Anne Frank House and Het Grachtenhuis

In addition, along the canal belt are some of Amsterdam’s most interesting sights. Prinsengracht 281 is home to the beautiful Westerkerk, Singel No. 7 is Amsterdam’s narrowest house, and Prinsengracht 263 is the address of the world-famous Anne Frank House. If you want to learn in detail about Amsterdam’s Grachtengordel, you can do so at the Het Grachtenhuis. The museum is located in one of the best preserved canal houses from the 17th century and presents the origin and development of the Amsterdam Grachtengordel.

Finally, an interesting detail: only elms are tolerated as planting on the banks of the canals, because their roots grow only in depth and there is no danger of them penetrating the canal walls sideways.