A brief history of Amsterdam's Canals

Up until the late 13^th Century, Amsterdam was but a small fishing village. By the 17^th Century, the Dutch East India Company was the piratical galleon based version of the modern US Government, dominating and manipulating world trade. Their home port was Amsterdam.

With such global success and economic boom came a huge increase in migration from all over Europe, and a dramatic increase in wealth among the middle classes. This period in Amsterdam’s history is known as “The Golden Age”. With so many people, and so much money pouring into the city, some deliberate planning was necessary, the Singelgracht Moat around the old port town boundaries had long been broached, and the population was spreading over the surrounding swamps.

What followed was the largest deliberate city planning scheme yet witnessed in the world. The work begun in 1613 led to what we now in 2012 still get to see and love, Amsterdam’s famous canal belt.




CITY PLAN

 

UNESCO state that the reclamation of swamp land and systematic city development of three concentric half circle canals allowed the “creation of a homogenous urban development”.  By constructing the canal system the city authorities created nearly ninety islands, on which Amsterdam’s famous Gable ended houses were constructed. I agree, these may look similar, but the effect of ostentatious 17^th Century Architecture built alongside narrow canals, overhung by leafy trees and dissected by over 1200 little hump-backed bridges feels anything but homogenous.

CANALS of AMSTERDAM

The canals we have chosen to live on are known as “The Venice of the North” and throughout the year tourists flock to this city of bikes and barges to cycle the streets or take a boat tour along the famous waterways. From the old central port and the Singelgracht the first of the concentric canals is called Herengracht, which translates as the Gentleman’s Canal. Second is Keizersgracht, this is the Emperors Canal. It is the widest of the three and is named after Maximilian I of Rome. The third is called Prinsengracht, the Prince’s Canal. There are many interlocking waterways between these three and others have since been opened up around the former working class area of Jordaan and in the East of Amsterdam. But, it is these three main canals making up central Amsterdam, which most people flock to enjoy.

The Golden Age of The Dutch East India Company may be long gone, but the economic boom which forced the most ambitious city planning scheme of that period produced one of the world’s prettiest cities. The 100 kilometres of canals and 1200 bridges of Amsterdam are being enjoyed every year by more and more visitors and residents. And for 2,500 lucky people, they get to live on the canals themselves, in one of Amsterdam’s famous Houseboats.