![Jodenbreestraat 1 across Houtkopersburgwal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Jodenbreestraat_1_across_Houtkopersburgwal.jpg)
The Jodenbreestraat ("Jewish Broad Street") is a street in the centre of
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 ...
, which connects the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates to the Mr. Visserplein traffic circle. North of the sluice gates, the street continues on to
Nieuwmarkt square as the
Sint Antoniesbreestraat. The
Mozes en Aäronkerk
The Moses and Aaron Church ( nl, Mozes en Aäronkerk, ), in the Waterlooplein neighborhood of Amsterdam, is officially the Roman Catholic Church of St. Anthony of Padua ( nl, Sint-Anthoniuskerk). Originally a clandestine church, it was operated ...
church stands at the southern end of the street. Directly behind the Jodenbreestraat is
Waterlooplein square with its daily flea market.
Philosopher
Baruch Spinoza
Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
was born in a house that stood on the spot where the
Mozes en Aäronkerk
The Moses and Aaron Church ( nl, Mozes en Aäronkerk, ), in the Waterlooplein neighborhood of Amsterdam, is officially the Roman Catholic Church of St. Anthony of Padua ( nl, Sint-Anthoniuskerk). Originally a clandestine church, it was operated ...
church now stands. The painter
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
lived in what is now the
Rembrandthuis
The Rembrandt House Museum ( nl, Museum Het Rembrandthuis) is a museum located in a former house in the Jodenbreestraat, in the center of Amsterdam. Between 1639 and 1658, the house was occupied by the well-known Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn ...
museum from 1639 to 1656. Across from the museum is a sculpture bearing a poem by
Jacob Israël de Haan.
History
The street was originally part of the
Sint Antoniesbreestraat. In the 17th century, many Jewish emigrants from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
settled in the neighbourhood, and in the second half of the century, the southern section of the Sint Antoniesbreestraat came to be known as Jodenbreestraat ("Jewish Broad Street").
The street served as a marketplace until the late 19th century. In 1893, the city government ordered the merchants to move their stalls to nearby
Waterlooplein square.
Rembrandt lived in this street from 1631 to 1635, at the home of art dealer
Hendrick van Uylenburgh, and again from 1639 to 1656, in his own house, built in 1606 and standing today. It now houses the
Rembrandthuis
The Rembrandt House Museum ( nl, Museum Het Rembrandthuis) is a museum located in a former house in the Jodenbreestraat, in the center of Amsterdam. Between 1639 and 1658, the house was occupied by the well-known Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn ...
museum. The street was also popular with other artists, such as the painter
Esaias Boursse, who lived next door to Rembrandt.
During the German occupation of the Netherlands in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, most residents of Amsterdam's
Jewish neighbourhood were deported to the concentration camps where they were murdered. After the war, the neighbourhood was left deserted. Many of the houses began to deteriorate and were eventually torn down. In the 1960s, the city government unveiled plans to build a highway through the Jodenbreestraat, as well as a metro line underneath the street. To prepare for construction, Jodenbreestraat was significantly widened by tearing down the remaining houses along the north side of the street. However, following heavy riots in 1975, the highway plans were abandoned.
Along the empty north side of the street, a huge new building arose in 1971, stretching the entire length of the street: the Burgemeester Tellegenhuis. Popularly known as the "
Maupoleum", it was repeatedly voted the ugliest building in Amsterdam, and was finally torn down in 1994 and replaced with two large buildings which house, among others, offices for the
Amsterdam School of the Arts
The Amsterdam University of the Arts ( nl, Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten) is a Dutch vocational university of arts located in Amsterdam.
The university consists of:
* Academy of Architecture
* Academy of Theatre and Dance
* Breitner Aca ...
and a store for supermarket chain
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands with a market share of 34.8% in 2020. It was founded in 1887, and has been part of Ahold Delhaize since 2016.
History
The chain was founded on 27 May 1887, when Albert Heijn boug ...
.
References
{{coord, 52, 22, 9, N, 4, 54, 11, E, scale:5000_region:NL_type:landmark, display=title
Streets in Amsterdam
Jewish Dutch history
Jews and Judaism in Amsterdam
Holocaust locations in the Netherlands
Sephardi Jewish culture in the Netherlands