Page 84 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

82  A MSTERD A M

t Portugees- He had it remodelled over the
Israëlitische next decades to a design by Elias
Synagoge Bouman, and it is one of the few
private residences in Amsterdam
Mr Visserplein 3. Map 5 B2. Tel 020- to follow an Italianate style. The
6245351. v 9, 14. q Waterloo plein. exterior design was reworked
Open Apr–Oct: 10am–4pm Sun–Fri; from 1675 to 1680. Six imposing
Nov–Mar: 10am–4pm Sun–Thu, 10am– pilasters break up the severe,
2pm Fri. Closed Jewish hols, 27 Apr. cream façade into five recessed
& 8 call 020-5310380 to book 7 sections, and the cornice is
= ∑ portugesesynagoge.nl topped by a blind balustrade
Elias Bouman’s design for concealing the roof. Inside, the
the Portugees-Israëlitische painted ceiling is decorated
Synagoge is said to be inspired with birds and cherubs.
by the Temple of Solomon In the 1970s, the house was
in Jerusalem. Built for the scheduled for demolition One of many stone carvings on the
wealthy Portuguese Sephardic because it stood in the way of Scheepvaarthuis façade
community of Amsterdam and a newly planned main road.
inaugurated in 1675, the huge Concerted protest saved the i Scheepvaarthuis
brick building has a rectangular building and, until 2012, it Prins Hendrikkade 108. Map 2 E4.
ground plan with the Holy housed a branch of the v 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 16, 17. q Centraal
Ark in the southeast corner Amsterdam Public Library. Station. Open Sun. 8 call 020-
facing towards Jerusalem, and 6868595 to book ∑ hetschip.nl
the tebah (the podium from
which the service is led) at u Montelbaanstoren Built as an office complex in
the opposite end. Oude Waal/Oudeschans 2. 1916, the Scheepvaarthuis
The wooden, barrel-vaulted Map 5 B1. v 9, 14. q Nieuwmarkt. (shipping house) is regarded
ceiling is supported by four Closed to the public. as the first true example of
Ionic columns. The interior Amsterdam School architecture
of the synagogue, with its The lower portion of the (see pp146–7). It was designed by
pews made of mahogany, is Montelbaanstoren was built Piet Kramer (1881–1961), Johan
illuminated by more than 1,000 in 1512 and formed part of van der May (1878–1949) and
candles and 72 windows. Amsterdam’s medieval fortifi- Michel de Klerk (1884–1923) for
cations. It lay just beyond the city a group of shipping companies
wall, protecting the city’s wharves which no longer wanted to
on the newly built St Antoniesdijk conduct business on the quay.
(now the Oudeschans) from the The imposing triangular
neighbouring Gelderlanders. building has a prow-like front
The octagonal structure and and is crowned by a statue
open-work timber steeple were of Neptune, his wife and four
both added by Hendrick de female figures representing
Keyser in 1606. His decorative
addition bears a close resem-
blance to the spire of the Oude
Kerk, designed by Joost Bilhamer,
which was built 40 years earlier
(see pp84–5). In 1611, the tower
began to list, prompting
Amsterdam mers to attach ropes
to the top and pull it right again.
Italianate façade of the Pintohuis, now Sailors from the Dutch East
a centre for culture and literature India Company would gather
at the Montelbaanstoren before
y Pintohuis being ferried in small boats
down the IJ to the massive
Sint Antoniesbreestraat 69.
Map 2 E5. Tel 020-6243184. v 9, 14. East Indies-bound sailing ships,
q Nieuwmarkt. Open 11:30am– anchored further out in deep
6:30pm Mon–Fri, 1:30–5pm Sat. water to the north.
Closed Sun. The building appears in a num-
ber of etchings by Rembrandt,
Isaac de Pinto, a wealthy and is still a popular subject for
Portuguese merchant, bought artists. It used to house the offices
the Pintohuis in 1651 for the then of the Amsterdam water authority The medieval Montelbaanstoren, with its
enormous sum of 30,000 guilders. but is currently unoccupied. decorative timber steeple
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp396–7 and pp406–9

082-083_EW_Netherlands.indd 82 16/01/17 11:53 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.4)
Date 25th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm