Page 89 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

A MSTERD A M  87

NIEUWE ZIJDE

The western side of medieval Amsterdam sprang up. The interesting Amsterdam
was known as the Nieuwe Zijde (New Side). Museum, which is now housed in a
Together with the Oude Zijde it formed splendid former orphanage, has scores
the heart of the early maritime settlement. of maps and paintings charting the
Nieuwendijk, today a busy shopping street, growth of the city from these times to the
was originally one of the earliest sea present day. One room is devoted to the
defences. As Amsterdam grew, it expanded Miracle of Amsterdam, which made the
eastwards, leaving large sections of the city a place of pilgrimage, and brought
Nieuwe Zijde, to the west, neglected and commerce to the Nieuwe Zijde. Nearby lies
in decline. With its many wooden houses, Kalverstraat, Amsterdam’s main shopping
the city was prone to fires and in 1452 street, and also the secluded Begijnhof.
much of the area was burned down. This pretty courtyard is mostly fringed by
During rebuilding, a broad moat, the narrow 17th-century houses, but it also
Singel, was cut, along which warehouses, contains the city’s oldest surviving
rich merchants’ homes and fine quays wooden house.

Sights at a Glance
Historic Buildings, Monuments
and Bridges
2 Koninklijk Paleis pp92–3
4 Nationaal Monument D E R U I J T E R K A D E
9 Torensluis
0 Magna Plaza
w Centraal Station
t Beurs van Berlage KATTENGAT STROMARKT Centraal Station
Churches MARTELAARS STATIONS
PLEIN
GRACHT
1 Nieuwe Kerk S i n g e l SINGEL HEKELVELD PRINS HENDRIKKADE Centraal
Station
q Lutherse Kerk
e St Nicolaaskerk OUDE NIEUWSTRAAT
SINT
Museums JACOBSTR NIE U W E N DIJ K D A M R A K SINT OLOFSPOORT
3 Madame Tussauds NIEUWEZIJDS VOORBURGWAL Damrak NIEUWEBRUG
ST
Scenerama
6 Amsterdam Museum SPUISTRAAT N. NIEUWESTR
pp96–7 S I N G E L WARMOESSTRAAT
8 Allard Pierson BEURSSTRAAT
Museum MOLSTEEG N I E U W E N D I J K D A M R A K
r Museum Ons’ Lieve
Heer op Solder EGGERTSTR
Streets and Squares ST. JANSSTR VOORBURGWAL
5 Nes DAM
7 Begijnhof PALEISSTRAAT DAMSTRAAT OUDEZIJDS
N E S
S I N G E L WIJDE VOORBURGWAL PIETERSPOORT ST
S P U I S T R A A T K A L V E R S T R A A T R O K I N N E S
ST
SINT
S i n g e l NIEUWEZIJDS GEDEMPTE BEGIJNENSLOOT GRIMBURGWAL See also Street Finder
KUIPERS
ST
maps 1, 2 & 5
S P U I KA L V E OUDE TURFMARKT
S I N G E L
NIEUWE
STR
DOELENSTR 0 metres 250
R O K I N
HANDBOOG
HEILIGEWEG R S T RAA T 0 yards 250
Visitors at the Amsterdam Museum on Kalverstraat For map symbols see back flap
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