The Vijzelgracht is a street and former 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 Vijzelgracht is adjacent to 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) and is an extension of one of the most important city radii for public transport and normal traffic. This through route leads via Vijzelstraat,

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

and

Damrak The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the centre of Amsterda ...

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

. To the south of Vijzelgracht, the Nieuwe Vijzelstraat connects to Weteringschans.

History

The Vijzelgracht dates from the time of the major expansion of Amsterdam in 1658. A 1737 map of Amsterdam by Gerrit de Broen shows the canal starting from the Baan Graft (

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 ...

) just east of the Molen de Weetering (Wetering Mill) on the city wall ramparts. The short canal ran north to Prince Graft (

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 ...

). The street to the east of the canal (Vijzelstraat) continued north to the Cingel (

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 ...

) just past the point where the Amstel split into the Singel and the

. The canal and street are most likely named for the 17th-century residents Cornelis and Jan Vijselaar, although the name was only made official in 1874. The canal is shown on the 1662 map by

Daniël Stalpaert Daniël Stalpaert or Daniel Stalpert (1615, in Amsterdam – buried 3 December 1676, in Amsterdam), was a Dutch people, Dutch architect, painter, town carpenter, print artist and draftsman.

Monuments

The Vijzelgracht has a number of national and municipal monuments. To mention are: *At Vijzelgracht 2a there is the 17th-century Walloon orphanage designed by architect

Adriaan Dortsman Adriaan Dortsman (1635, Vlissingen – 1682, Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age architect of Amsterdam. Biography According to the RKD he moved to Amsterdam in 1667 and is known for drawings and architectural designs.Philips Vingboons Philips Vingboons (or ''Vinckboons'', ''Vinckeboons'', ''Vinckbooms'') ( – 2 October 1678) was a Dutch architect. He was part of the school of Jacob van Campen, that is, Dutch Classicism. Vingboons was especially highly regarded in his native c ...

(1607–78). *The buildings are built according to a fixed pattern: a living cellar, a first floor, a kitchen at the back with basement and a first floor with a hood. The looms were on the first floor, the spinners worked in the basement. The corner houses were larger and served as a store or a pub. *The monumental building Vijzelgracht 63 is of historical architectural importance because it incorporates different styles. The building was designed by architect D. van Oort Hzn. He also designed the municipal monument Vijzelgracht 49. *The building at number 63 was restored in 2002 by Stadsherstel Amsterdam. The foundation was also replaced in connection with the construction of the Noord / Zuidlijn. There is a business space on the ground floor and there are houses on the higher floors. *Both the office building at Vijzelgracht 50 / Lijnbaansgracht and the apartment building at the nearby

Reguliersgracht Reguliersgracht is a canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1658, it is located in the Grachtengordel, in the Centrum borough. During World War II the "nerve center" of the illegal paper ''Het Parool'' was housed there, in a house (number ...

/ corner Falckstraat bear the name 'Het Noortse Bosch'.

Bridges

The Vijzelgracht had a large number of bridges: *Walenweeshuissluis (bridge 70), the bridge over the Prinsengracht from the Vijzelstraat (still there in 2017) *Bridge on the southern quay of the Prinsengracht across the Vijzelgracht in front of Maison Descartes (disappeared) *Bridges on the quays of the Vijzelgracht over the Nieuwe Looiersgracht (disappeared), *Bridge 85, a footbridge at the Derde Weteringdwarsstraat (disappeared) *Bridge on the quay of the Lijnbaansgracht over the Vijzelgracht (disappeared) *Bridge 86 in the quay of the Vijzelgracht over the Lijnbaansgracht (still there in 2017) File:Wale-weeshuis.jpg , The Vijzelgracht and the Walen orphanage; circa 1780 File:RM6181 Amsterdam - Vijzelgracht 2.jpg, The Walen orphanage on the Vijzelgracht File:Vijzelgracht1.jpg, Work for the metro, on the right the Walen orphanage / 'Maison Descartes', corner Prinsengracht File:Wevershuizen Vijzelgracht 2008.jpg, Sinked weaver houses on the Vijzelgracht in 2008.

Construction of the North / South line

Work was carried out on the North / South metro line (Noord / Zuidlijn) between 2002 and 2018, and

Vijzelgracht metro station Vijzelgracht metro station (Dutch: ''Station Vijzelgracht'') is a station on the Route 52 (North–South Line) of the Amsterdam Metro in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was opened on 22 July 2018. Vijzelgracht is an underground station situated in the ...

is now located under Vijzelgracht. A number of residents of the Vijzelgracht suggested digging the canal again. The street was already open for construction of the station, it was argued, so the historic appearance of the canal could be restored immediately. The neighborhood committee "Vijzelgracht - Entree met Kracht" was set up by enthusiastic local residents. The Amsterdam-Centrum District Council also initially expressed a positive opinion on the return of the water. However, the Amsterdam City Council rejected the plan in April 2006, since it would be too expensive. Construction of the Noord / Zuidlijn on the Vijzelgracht led to major problems. In October 2004, the first subsidence occurred near the Vijzelgracht when seven buildings sagged about . On 19 June 2008, four monumental buildings (weaver houses) sagged due to a leak in the deep wall. The work was stopped on 23 June. Work on Vijzelgracht was resumed on 9 September 2008. The municipality and the project office had investigated and thought it was safe to continue working. However, the next day (10 September), buildings on Vijzelgracht began to sag again. This time, six buildings sagged as much as within a few hours. The cause was again a leak in a deep wall. The residents were accommodated in hotels. In January 2009, a driver who supplied concrete for the sheet piles at Vijzelgracht station reported to the press that concrete had been used that was already hours past its shelf life. As a result, the quality of the concrete was poor and the walls brittle. In 2008, the Deltares research agency hired by the municipality of Amsterdam found 114 weak spots and a hole in the concrete sheet piles of the Vijzelgracht. According to Deltares, those weak spots were caused, among other things, by the use of bad and polluted concrete and poor reinforcement.'Oud beton gebruikt bij Noord- Zuidlijn'

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, '' de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...

, 21 februari 2009

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vijzelgracht Streets in Amsterdam Former canals in Amsterdam

History

Bridges

Construction of the North / South line

See also

Notes

Sources