The Blauwburgwal (literally: nl, blue fortress wall) is a canal in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
between the
Singel
The Singel is one of the canals of Amsterdam. The Singel encircled Amsterdam in the Middle Ages, serving as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ (Amsterdam), IJ bay, near the ...
(at Lijnbaanssteeg) and the
Herengracht
The Herengracht () is the second of four Amsterdam canals belonging to the canal belt and lies between the Singel and the Keizersgracht.
The Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend) in particular is known for its large and beautiful canal houses.
History
Th ...
(at Herenstraat).
It is the shortest canal in the city center and part of the west
Grachtengordel
The Grachtengordel (, "canal belt (girdle);" known in English as the Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, wer ...
(canal belt).
Halfway along the northeast side, the Langestraat meets the Blauwburgwal.
The canal has two bridges, one beside Singel bridge 11 and the other beside Herengracht bridge 19.
History
The canal was dug at the end of the 16th century.
Before the city expansion of 1612, the Blauwburgwal was called Blauwburgwal Lijnbaansgracht as an extension of Lijnbaanssteeg.
When a new
Lijnbaansgracht
Lijnbaansgracht () is a partly filled-in canal in Amsterdam which bends beyond the boundary of the center, Amsterdam-Centrum. The canal runs parallel to the Singelgracht, between the Brouwersgracht and the Reguliersgracht.
History
The Lijnbaa ...
was created during the expansion, the name was changed to Blauwburgwal naar de Blauwe Brug.
The Blauwe Brug (Blue Bridge) across the Singel is now called the Lijnbaansbrug.
On 11 May 1940 part of the Blauwburgwal was destroyed by a German bombing.
Fourteen buildings were destroyed and 44 were killed.
Slachtoffers 'onbekend' Amsterdams bombardement krijgen een naam
NOS.nl 1 mei 2017
Architecture
The facade of Blauwburgwal 22 has an elevated bell-gable
The bell gable ( es, espadaña, french: clocher-mur, it, campanile a vela) is an architectural element crowning the upper end of the wall of church buildings, usually in lieu of a church tower. It consists of a gable end in stone, with small ho ...
dating from 1669.
The bell gable developed from the neck gable.
This building was mainly built between 1660 and 1790.
Blauwburgwal 22 is unique in its kind. It is the only example of a raised bell gable: an extra step with a small claw piece.
The gable has curved side walls ornamented with fruit and urns.
The house is owned by the Hendrick de Keyser Association.
File:02-19-1951 09049 Blauwburgwal (4213204762).jpg, Pile driving on the Blauwburgwal, 19 February 1951
File:Amsterdam, Herengracht buitenkant bij Brouwersgracht grachtenpanden foto1.JPG , Canal houses at Blauwburgwal-Herengracht, bridge 19 in foreground
File:Amsterdam, the Blauwburgwal.jpg , View of Blauwburgwal
See also
*Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than of '' grachten'' (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form c ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blauwburgwal
Canals in Amsterdam