Page 104 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands
P. 104

102      A MSTERD A M                                                                                         A   C ANAL  W ALK      103  104      A MSTERD A M                                                                          A   C ANAL  W ALK      105

                                                                                         Nos. 289–293 Singel                                                       Keizersgracht                                  The unusual office block at   Peter the Great (1716)
        Dam Square to Herengracht 487                                                    These houses stand on an alley                               canal” is taken at dusk, from the corner                    No. 313 Keizersgracht was built   Keizersgracht to No. 317, the
                                                                                                                                                         This photograph of the “emperor’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Russian tsar sailed up
                                                                                          once called Schoorsteenvegersteeg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  in 1914 by CN van Goor.
                                                                                          (chimney sweeps’ lane), home to                                 of Leidsegracht. The Westerkerk                                                home of his friend Christoffel
        The walk along Amsterdam’s finest canals begins in Dam square    HERENGRACHT  SINGEL  immigrant chimney sweeps.                                      (see p114) is in the distance.                            No. 319 Keizersgracht   Brants. Legend says the tsar
        (see p68). Following the grey dots on the map, leave the square past    KEIZERSGRACHT                                                                                                                          was built by the architect   got drunk and kept the
        the Koninklijk Paleis (see pp92–3), cross Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and                                                                    Behind the 18th-century façade at                                     Philips Vingboons (1608–   mayor waiting while at a
        Spuistraat down Paleisstraat, and turn left along the left bank of Singel,                                                               No. 319 Singel is a second­hand bookshop,                             78) in 1639. It has a rare,   civic reception.
                         marked by purple dots. Further directions                                     Yab Yum Brothel                           which is well worth browsing through.                                 highly decorated façade
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       covered with scrolls, vases
                         are incorporated into the route below.                                   This famous former brothel                                                                                           and garlands.
                                                                                                  with its opulent interior was
                                                    Locator Map                                    located at No. 295 Singel.
                                                                                                                                                                             Directions To
                                                                                                                                                                             Keizersgracht
                                                                                                                                                                             At Raamsteeg, cross
                                                                                                                                                                             the bridge, take the
                                                                                                                                                                             Oude Spiegelstraat, cross
                                                                                                                                                                             Herengracht and walk
                                                                                                                                                                             along Wolvenstraat to the
                                                                                                                                                                             left bank of Keizersgracht.
               Singel                                                                                                                                                                         Keizersgracht
                No. 239 Singel      The double-fronted 17th­   The step gable at No. 279 Singel                                                                                                                                                           The Louis XIV-style
                  AL Van Gendt designed   century canal house at    dates from the 19th century –   No. 365 Keizersgracht    Jacob de Wit       No. 399 Keizersgracht      No. 409 Keizersgracht                         Leidsegracht                     house at No. 323
                  this massive stone office   No. 265 Singel has been   most along this canal were built   The doorway was taken   The artist bought    dates from 1665, but the   Built in 1671 on a triangular   This canal marked the end              Keizersgracht was built
                   block for trader Julius   rebuilt several times since    between 1600–1665.  from an almshouse on         Nos. 383 and 385   façade was rebuilt in     piece of land, this house                 of Daniel Stalpaert’s city            in 1728. It has a raised
                   Carle Bunge. Known    it was first constructed.                              Oudezijds Voorburgwal         Keizersgracht, living    the 18th century. Its   contains a highly decorated       expansion plan of 1664. It has           cornice embellished
                  as the Bungehuis, it was                                                      in the 19th century.          in No. 385 until his   achterhuis (see p100) has   wooden ceiling.                   a mixture of fine 17th­ and            with two hoisting
                 completed in 1934.  The three neck gables on                                                                 death in 1754.    been perfectly preserved.                                         18th­century canal houses.              beams, one functional
                                     Nos. 353–7 Keizersgracht date   Huidenstraat                                                                                                                                                                         and the other to
                                     from the early 18th century.                                                                                                                                                                                         provide symmetry.











          No. 345a Keizersgracht is a                                                                         Gerrit Rietveld  De Vergulde Ster                          The wall plaque on No. 401   The plain, spout-           No. 475 Herengracht   Jan Corver
          narrow house sharing a cornice           The Sower at Arles (1888)  No 34–6 Leidsestraat            Rietveld designed    (gilded star), at No. 387             Keizersgracht shows a bird’s­eye   gabled building (see   Art patron Jan Gildemester   Burgomaster of
          with its neighbour.                                                                                                                                            view of the port of Marseilles.                          bought this house in 1792.   Amsterdam 19
                                                   In March 1878, Vincent van    houses the country’s first   the glass cupola on   Keizersgracht, was                                          pp100–101) at No. 403
                                                   Gogh (see pp130–31) visited    Abercrombie and Fitch     Abercrombie and Fitch, and   built in 1668 by the                                   Keizersgracht was                 Attributed to Jacob Otten   times, Corver
         In 1708, No. 333 Keizersgracht            his uncle, who ran a bookshop    clothing shop.          a line of plain, inexpensive   municipal stone­         No. 469 Herengracht         originally a warehouse –          Husly, it has a stuccoed   built No. 479
         was rebuilt for tax collector             and art dealership at No. 453                              furniture for the store.  masons’ yard. It has        The modern office block by    a rarity in this                entrance hall.    Herengracht
         Jacob de Wilde. It has been               Keizersgracht.                                                             an elongated neck                     KL Sijmons replaced the original   predominantly                                  in 1665.
         converted into apartments.                                                                                           gable (see pp100–101)                 18th­century houses in 1971.  residential area.
                                                                                                                              and narrow windows.
                                                                                                    Directions to
                                                                                                    Herengracht
                                                                                                    Turn left on to
                                                                                                    Leidsestraat, and walk
                                                                                                    to Koningsplein, then
                                                                                                    take the left bank of the
                                                                                                    Herengracht eastwards
                                                                                                    towards Thorbeckeplein.
                                                                                                                      Herengracht
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Turn over to continue walk at top



    102-105_EW_Netherlands.indd   102                                                                                                                                                                                                                            16/01/17   12:03 pm
      Eyewitness Travel   LAYERS PRINTED:
      Feature template    “UK” LAYER
      (SourceReport v1.3)
      Date 18th October 2012
      Size 125mm x 217mm
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