The Westerstraat is a major street in the
Jordaan, a neighborhood of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, in the Netherlands. The street was created by the filling in of the
Anjeliersgracht. It runs from the
Noordermarkt
The Noordermarkt (; en, Northern Market) is a square in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The square is dominated by the 17th-Century Noorderkerk church, and is lined by cafés and restaurants. Markets are held on the squ ...
to the
Marnixstraat
Marnixstraat is a main street in the Dutch city of Amsterdam , on the western border of the Jordaan in the Amsterdam-Centrum. The street is located between Haarlemmerplein and Leidseplein, parallel to Lijnbaansgracht.
History
Marnixstraat is a ...
. Besides residential homes and shops, including a supermarket, there are restaurants and cafes.
History
The Anjeliersgracht was dug in the first half of the 17th century as part of
the city's expansion program. The canal was dug in 1650; it was filled in in 1861 (the water quality was poor, and there was a need to create room for traffic), and was called Westerstraat. Between 1922 and 1932 streetcar 20 ran from the Marnixstraat through the Westerstraat to its terminus on the Noordermarkt.
There have been plans to open up some of the canals again, but citizens and businesses protested.
Market
There is a market every Monday morning.
Alleys
Many streets in the Jordaan had alleys between the houses; some of these were covered by other buildings in the course of time. These alleys dead-ended in the yards behind the houses; in those yards were older, frequently dilapidated, buildings that housed the poor. On the Westerstraat these included:
*the Graadboogsgang, which rendered access to numbers 19-31
*the Wassendemaansgang, nos. 39-43
*the Sterrengang, nos. 147-151
*the Rozenmarijngang, nos. 165-173
*the Bontekoegang, no. 20
*the Dolfijnengang, nos. 68-56
*an alley for nos. 78-84
*the Wittenpaardsgang, nos. 112-116
*the Zandmansgang, nos. 132-136
*the Regenboogsgang, nos. 170-172
*the Engelschmansteeg, nos. 182-194
*the Wereldsgang, nos. 157-159
*the Pottenbakkersgang, nos. 216-226
Most of these alleys were repurposed after buildings were renovated or torn down.
Pottenbakkersgang
The group of buildings on the
Pottenbakkersgang (Westerstraat nrs. 216-226) were taken apart in 2002 and moved to the
Nederlands Openluchtmuseum in
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
. The group had the status of
Rijksmonument, and neighbors and organizations had protested against its planned demolition. The 17th-century buildings were the last of their kind in the Jordaan and were part of a standard system of pathways, buildings, and courtyards. Queen Beatrix opened the new set of buildings in 2012; the project was financed by the
Bankgiroloterij
BankGiroLoterij was the name of a Dutch professional road bicycle racing team. The main sponsor from 1999 to 2004 was a Dutch lottery operator BankGiro Loterij . No sponsor was available for 2005, so the team disbanded. At that time, they were ...
.
File:Westerstraat Tweede Anjeliersdwarsstraat.jpg, Westerstraat hoek Tweede Anjeliersdwarsstraat
File:Concordia-noord.jpg, Westerstraat 327-405 / Lijnbaansgracht 63-65
File:Concordiahof.JPG, Concordiahof
File:ConcordiaNoordWesterstraat.jpg, Westerstraat 215-295
References
{{Reflist
Streets in Amsterdam