Kloveniersburgwal is an

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

canal flowing south from

Nieuwmarkt Nieuwmarkt (; ) is a square in the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The surrounding area is known as the Lastage neighborhood. It is situated in the borough of Amsterdam-Centrum. The square is considered part of Amsterdam's Chinatown, next ...

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. The

Geldersekade The Geldersekade is a canal and a street in Amsterdam that connects the Nieuwmarkt with the Prins Hendrikkade. The Geldersekade is in the easternmost part of De Wallen, the red light district, and borders Chinatown. Location To the west, Ell ...

, the

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 bay, near the Central St ...

and the Kloveniersburgwal together formed the city wall around the city. After the Nieuwe Gracht (Oude Schans now) was dug and the new city walls were built, Kloveniersburgwal lost its function as a defense canal. The old city wall was taken down and houses were built on it instead. The east side became populated in the 17th century and has a few grand mansions, like the Trippenhuis, now housing the KNAW. The name 'Kloveniersburgwal' comes from a division of the civic guards, the 'kloveniers', named after the gun the guards were armed with. The kloveniers met at the ' Kloveniersdoelen' next to Swijgh Utrecht on the corner of the Kloveniersburgwal and the Nieuwe Doelenstraat. Later on their groupportrait, the famous painting ''De Nachtwacht'' (by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

), hung in the 'Kloveniersdoelen'. Nowadays, it is exhibited in the Rijksmuseum. Swijgh Utrecht was completely destroyed in 1882; the Doelenhotel was built there instead. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, starting in February 1941, Kloveniersburgwal was the border of the Jewish quarter, segregated by the Germans. In the "Jodenhoek" between Centraal Station, Kloveniersburgwal, Waterlooplein, Valkenburgerstraat, and

Prins Hendrikkade Prins Hendrikkade (Dutch for "Prince Henry's Quay") is a major street in the centre of Amsterdam. It passes Amsterdam Central Station, intersects the Damrak at the mouth of the Amstel river, and forms the southern end of the IJtunnel across the I ...

, there lived more than 25,000 Jews. Kloveniersburgwal was popular with administrators at the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

, being close to its center on Oude Hoogstraat and its warehouse.

Monuments

There are some historically important monuments located at Kloveniersburgwal, for example: * 'The Trippenhuis' (1662), KLoveniersburgwal 29; * The former church from the 'Evangelisch-Lutherse Gemeente ', Kloveniersburwal 50; * 'The Bushuis' (1890) between 'The Compagnietheater' and Oude Hoogstraat; * 'The Huis Joan Poppen' (1642), which is also called 'The Gulden Steur', Kloveniersburgwal 95; * A part of the former Binnengasthuis; * The entrance of Oudemanhuispoort.

Theatres

* Compagnietheater, Kloveniersburgwal 50; * Literair theater Perdu, Kloveniersburgwal 86; * Doelenzaal, Kloveniersburgwal 87-89.

References

External links

* {{coord, 52.3703, 4.8981, type:landmark_region:NL, display=title Canals in Amsterdam Holocaust locations in the Netherlands