Our Planet’s Landmarks Series #14
Canals of Amsterdam Netherlands
Canals of Amsterdam Netherlands is about Grachtengordel, the Canal District of the Netherlands.
Amsterdam is regarded as the Venice of the North. It is hardly surprising as the city has 165 canals. With a combined length of more than 100 km. Plus 90 islands. And, 1280 bridges! That is three times more bridges than Venice!
And we may call it a man-made Venice.
It all started in early seventeenth century. With immigration on the rise, the city planners decided to create four canals. As concentric half-circles. These were conceived to accommodate ever-increasing population.
The work started in 1613 CE. The canals were dug from West to East. The project got its final touches almost 50 years later.
By then, the population in the city had grown from a modest 50,000 to 200,000. That made Amsterdam the third biggest in the world after London and Paris. Not population alone, but the city grew four-fold in area too. Over 1550 gabled residential buildings came up on the banks of these canals. Today, this canal network also accommodates 2500 houseboats.
More about the canals
Grachtengordel (English: Canal District) is the area around the concentric half-circles of canals. The four canals of Grachtengordel are:
• Prinsengracht
• Keizersgracht
• Herengracht, and
• Singel
Prinsengracht is the outermost, and Singel is the innermost.
Even today, a canal-side address in Amsterdam is prestigious. City’s glitterati share it with city’s premier institutions, theatres, churches, and more.
Singel, the innermost canal, encircles the medieval city. It runs from the Central Station to Muntplein Square. Here, it meets Amstel River.
Herengracht (Patrician’s Canal or Lords’ Canal) gets its name from the Heren Regents. They governed the city during 16th and 17th centuries. The most fashionable part of the city – the Golden Bend – is located here.
Keizergracht (Emperor’s Canal) is named after Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor. It is the widest of the three major canals of Amsterdam.
Prinsengracht (Prince’s Canal) is the longest of the four canals as it is the outermost. It was in the 17th century when most houses along this canal came about. Along the banks of this canal, you’d also find Anne Frank House. It gets its name from Prince of Orange (William the Silent). He was the ancestor of present-day Dutch monarchy.
More Nuggets
Amsterdam is the only city in the world with a medieval
