Page 80 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

78  A MSTERD A M

1 Red Light District 2 Waag
Map 5 A1. v 4, 9, 16. Nieuwmarkt 4. Map 2 E5. v 4, 9, 16.
q Nieuwmarkt. Closed Upper Rooms:
Barely clad prostitutes bathed closed to the public.
in a red neon glow and touting
for business at their windows The multi­turreted Waag is
is one of the defining images the city’s oldest surviving
of modern Amsterdam. The gatehouse. Built in 1488, it
city’s Red Light District, referred was then, and often still is,
to locally as de Walletjes (the called St Antoniespoort. Public
little walls), is concentrated on exe cutions were held here, and
the Oude Kerk (see pp84–5), condemned prisoners awaited
although it extends as far as their fate in the “little gallows
Warmoesstraat to the west, room”. In 1617, the building
the Zeedijk to the north, the became the public weigh
Kloveniersburgwal to the east Entrance to one of the clubs in the Red house (waaggebouw). Peasants
and then along the line of Light District had their produce weighed
Damstraat to the south. here and paid tax accordingly.
Prostitution in Amsterdam Today, the whole area is criss­ Various guilds used the upper
dates back to the city’s emer­ crossed by a network of narrow rooms of each tower. From
gence as a port in the 13th lanes, dominated by garish sex 1619 the Guild of Surgeons had
century. By 1478, prostitution shops, seedy clubs and unsavoury a meeting room and anatomy
had become so widespread that characters. At night, the little theatre here. They added the
attempts were made to contain alleys assume a somewhat central octagonal tower in
it. Prostitutes straying outside sinister aspect, and it is unwise 1691. Rembrandt’s Anatomy
their designated area were to wander away from the main Lesson of Dr Nicholaes Tulp, now
marched back to the sound streets. But by day, hordes of in the Mauritshuis (see pp226–7),
of pipe and drum. visitors generate a festive buzz, and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Jan
A century later, following and amid the sleaze there are Deijman, in the Amsterdam
the Alteration, the Calvinists interesting cafés, bars, rest­ Museum (see pp96–7), were
(see pp56–7) tried to outlaw aurants and beautiful canalside commissioned by guild members
prostitution altogether. Their houses to be discovered. The and then hung here.
attempts were half­hearted, city council is trying to make the The weigh house closed in
and by the mid­17th century area more culturally attractive the early 19th century and the
prostitution was openly toler­ by cutting down on window­ Waag has since served as a fire
ated. In 1850, Amsterdam had a prostitutes, closing the seediest station and two city museums.
population of 200,000, and clubs and encouraging non­sex­ It is now home to the restaurant
more than 200 brothels. industry businesses. In de Waag.

The 15th-century Waag dominating the Nieuwmarkt, with an antique market on the right
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp396–7 and pp406–9

078-079_EW_Netherlands.indd 78 16/01/17 12:03 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.4)
Date 25th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm