Nes (; sometimes called de Nes, "the Nes") is a narrow, old, street in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It runs parallel to and to the east of

Rokin The Rokin is a canal and major street in the centre of Amsterdam. The street runs from Muntplein square to Dam square. The Rokin canal used to run from Muntplein square to Dam Square, but in 1936, the part between Spui square and Dam Square was ...

, between

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

to the north and

Grimburgwal The Grimburgwal is a small canal and street in the center of Amsterdam. Location The canal was the southern border of the city until 1425 and is now the southern border of De Wallen, the red light district. The Nes street and the Oudezijds Voo ...

to the south. The Dutch word ''

nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

'' means headland or spit (compare the English word " ness", often found as a suffix in placenames). Until the seventeenth century, the northern part of Nes (roughly near where Dam Square now is) was called ''Gansoord'' ("Goose-oord"). (An ''oord'' ( nl) is a piece of land between where two rivers meet.) The name most likely described the nature of the street's original situation among the waterways of Amsterdam. In the year 1500, there were around 20 monasteries in Amsterdam; of which five were in Nes. The street was nicknamed ''Gebed zonder End'' ("Prayer without end"). A side alley bears that name to this day ( nl). Open practice of Catholicism was banned after the ''

Alteratie The Alteratie (Eng: Alteration) is the name given to the change of power in Amsterdam on May 26, 1578, when the Catholic city government was deposed in favor of a Protestant one. The coup should be seen in the context of the greater Dutch Revolt t ...

'' of 1578, and the monasteries were given over to other uses. For example, the was founded as a hospital on the sites of the Old and New Nunneries. The-empire-amsterdam-1921

From early in the nineteenth century, Nes became a centre for entertainment. Its attractions included brothels,

café-chantant (French: lit. 'singing café'), , or , is a type of musical establishment associated with the Belle Époque in France. The music was generally lighthearted and sometimes risqué or even bawdy but, as opposed to the cabaret tradition, not parti ...

s, the , the Theatre Tivoli, and artists' cafés. Later, it became important in the tobacco trade. From 1911 (or earlier) until the mid 1930s, No. 17 was home to one of the earliest gay bars: . Since the 1960s, Nes has become known as a theatrical quarter; with sites including Frascati, , (a Flemish cultural centre), (a rijksmonument), and the Comedy Theatre in de Nes.

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