The Leidsegracht () 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 ...

, the Netherlands. It is a cross-canal in Amsterdam-Center that connects

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 ...

Keizersgracht The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinsengr ...

Prinsengracht The Prinsengracht is a -long canal that runs parallel to the Keizersgracht in the center of Amsterdam. The canal, named after the Prince of Orange, is the fourth of the four main canals belonging to the canal belt. History Construction started ...

and

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 ...

and flows into the

Singelgracht The Singelgracht () is the waterway that borders the entire Amsterdam Center and flows along the Nassaukade, Stadhouderskade and Mauritskade. Formerly the canal and the ramparts on the city side formed the outer defenses of the city. Name The n ...

at Marnixstraat.

History

The Leidsegracht was part of the Expansion of Amsterdam and marked the border between the first and the second phase of the construction of the

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). Between 1615 and 1658, the Leidsegracht was the southern boundary of the city. The canal got its name in 1658 and is named after the city of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

Cornelis Lely Cornelis Lely (; 23 September 1854 – 22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union (LU) and civil engineer. He oversaw the passage of an act of parliament authorising construction of the Zuiderzee Works, a huge project – desi ...

(1854–1929), the hydraulic engineer, governor and minister who made the original plans for the reclamation of the

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...

, was born on Leidsegracht no. 39. He is depicted on a

gable stone Gable stones (Dutch ''gevelstenen'') are carved and often colourfully painted stone tablets, which are set into the walls of buildings, usually at about 4 metres from the ground. They serve both to identify and embellish the building. They are al ...

between the Zuiderzee and the new

IJsselmeer The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an a ...

. Pieter Goemans was inspired to write the classic song ''

Aan de Amsterdamse grachten "Aan de Amsterdamse grachten" (; "At the Amsterdam canals") is a Dutch song by Pieter Goemans. It was written in 1949 but not recorded until 1956, and many times more since then. It is one of the standard songs celebrating the city of Amsterdam, a ...

'' (On the Amsterdam canals) in 1949 while walking across the bridge where the Prinsengracht and the Leidsegracht intersect. Almost all canal houses and former warehouses on this canal are now houses. File:Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode - Amsterdam (1625) 1-2.jpg, Map of Amsterdam by Balthasar van Berckenrode (1625). Shows Leidsegracht as the boundary of the buildings at the time, with the still short Prinsengracht (Prince Graft), ending at the Leidsegracht (top center). File:George Hendrik Breitner, Afb 010104000078.jpg, Leidsegracht 2-22 c. 1904 File:Coincidences (8564001505).jpg , View of the canal

Notes

Sources

External link

Die Verheelinghe; geschiedenis van de Leidsegracht e.o.
www.theobakker.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Leidsegracht Canals in Amsterdam

History

See also

Notes

Sources

External link