The Raamgracht (Frame Canal) is a canal in central

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 ...

that runs from the

Kloveniersburgwal Kloveniersburgwal is an Amsterdam canal flowing south from Nieuwmarkt to the Amstel River on the edge of the medieval city, lying east of the dam in the centre of Amsterdam. History The Kloveniersburgwal was dug at the end of the 15th century. ...

to the

Zwanenburgwal The Zwanenburgwal is a canal and street in the center of Amsterdam. During the Dutch Golden Age the canal was home to painter Rembrandt van Rijn, as well as philosopher Spinoza lived here. In 2006 it was voted one of the most beautiful streets ...

. The

Groenburgwal The Groenburgwal () is a canal in Amsterdam that connects the Raamgracht with the Amstel. The Groenburgwal is parallel to the Kloveniersburgwal and the Zwanenburgwal, in the shadow of the tower of the Zuiderkerk. History The area between the K ...

, Verversstraat and Zanddwarsstraat lead to the Raamgracht. Bridge 225 over the canal is beside the Kloveniersburgwal, and Theo Boschbrug (bridge 230) over the canal is beside the Zwanenburgwal.

History

The area between the Kloveniersburgwal and the Zwanenburgwal was still "outside the fortress" (outside the city walls) until the late 16th century. It was added to the city in 1593. At that time there were weaving mills in the area, where after washing, carding, spinning, weaving and dying the woolen fabric was stretched on wooden frames (''raamen'') to dry and stretch. The names Raamgracht, Ververstraat and Staalstraat recall that period. On a map from 1625 by Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode the canal is called the "Verwers Graft" (Dyers Canal). It then makes a right angle near the Moddermeule Steech and merges into a wider area that is also called Verwers Graft (now called Zwanenburgwal). In the 17th century the cloth weavers moved to the then western border of the city, near the

Bloemgracht The Bloemgracht () is a canal in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It connects the Prinsengracht with the Lijnbaansgracht and runs between and parallel to Nieuwe Leliestraat and Bloemstraat in the Amsterdam-Centrum district. Th ...

and the

Jordaan The Jordaan is a neighbourhood of the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Centrum. The area is bordered by the Singelgracht canal and the neighbourhood of Frederik Hendrikbuurt to the west; the Prinsengracht to ...

. The Raamstraat, Raamplein and Raampoort can still be found there. The Raamgracht is located in the former

Jodenbuurt The Jodenbuurt (Dutch: ''Jewish neighbourhood'') is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. For centuries before World War II, it was the center of the Dutch Jews of Amsterdam — hence, its name (literally '' Jewish quarter''). It is best know ...

(Jewish quarter) of Amsterdam. During

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 ...

many Jewish residents of Raamgracht were taken to

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

and did not survive the war. Afterwards, part of the buildings on the north side of the Raamgracht was demolished for the construction of the Oostlijn metro line. The Pentagon designed by Theo Bosch was then built here.

Trivia

The weekly ''

Vrij Nederland ''Vrij Nederland'' (Free Netherlands) is a Dutch magazine, established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper. It has since grown into a magazine. The originally weekly and now monthly magaz ...

'' has been established for many years in a monumental building from 1914 on Raamgracht 4, on the corner with the Kloveniersburgwal. The Weekbladpers (publisher of ''Vrij Nederland'' and magazines like ''

Opzij ''Opzij'' is a mainstream Dutch feminist monthly magazine. The title means "out of the way!"Cas Wouters, "Changes in the 'Lust Balance' of Sex and Love since the Sexual Revolution: The Example of the Netherlands," in History and profile ''Opzij ...

'' and ''Hollands Diep'') is also located at Raamgracht 4. Journalist

Igor Cornelissen Igor Cornelissen (3 May 1935 – 13 March 2021) was a Dutch journalist and author. Cornelissen was born in Zwolle. He was journalist at '' Het Vrije Volk'' (1956–1958), editor at ''Vrij Nederland'' (1962–1996) and between 1990 and 2000, h ...

wrote the book Raamgracht 4 about his time as editor of Vrij Nederland in the 1960s.

Sal Meijer Salomon "Sal" Meijer (Amsterdam, December 6, 1877 - Blaricum, February 1, 1965) was a Dutch painter, primarily known for his paintings of cats and Amsterdam city views. Works by Meijer are on view at the Jewish Historical Museum and the Kattenka ...

painted the Raamgracht. This painting was purchased by the government in 1957 on the occasion of its 80th birthday In the early seventies of the 20th century, the poet and writer

Hugo Claus Hugo Maurice Julien Claus (; 5 April 1929 – 19 March 2008) was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also l ...

, together with his then muse, the actress

Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Maria Kristel (28 September 1952 17 October 2012) was a Dutch actress and model who appeared in over 50 films. She is best remembered as the eponymous character in five of the seven Emmanuelle films, including originating the role with ''E ...

, occupied the Raamgracht 5-7 building. File:Raamgracht 2.jpg, Raamgracht File:Amsterdam - Raamgracht 9.JPG, Building on the canal File:Amsterdam - Zuiderkerk and Raamgracht.JPG , The Raamgracht with the

Zuiderkerk The Zuiderkerk (, "southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Cla ...

in the background File:Ververgracht, Groenburgwal en Zuiderkerk (1625) door Balthasar Florisz van Berckenrode.jpg , Ververgracht, Groenburgwal and Zuiderkerk (1625) by Balthasar Florisz van Berckenrode

Raamgracht in other cities

There was a Raamgracht in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

that was filled in around 1850.Den Haag: De Raamstraat
(gearchiveerd) There was also a Raamgracht in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, now the Gedempte Raamgracht.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raamgracht Canals in Amsterdam

History

Trivia

Raamgracht in other cities

See also

Notes

Sources