amsterdam report

AMSTERDAM [F.R.Arooz/ Individual assignment/ Urban Morphology/ Master of Urban Design/UOM] 2013

Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, lying at the center of

the Randstad, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. Its status as the Dutch capital is

mandated by the constitution of the Netherlands. Amsterdam has a population of 801,200 within

city limits, 1,557,905 in the urban region and 2,332,839 in the greater metropolitan area. The city

is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country.

The beginnings of Amsterdam

Amsterdam was first settled in the 9th and 10th centuries. The generally accepted view is that the

city grew around a dam on the Amstel River in the late 1100s. Along with several others, this

dam formed a network of dikes along the southern bank of the Amstel River. One view is

that workers who came from the Utrecht diocese located in Holland to build the dikes built

Amsterdam. The river flowed into the Amstel through a sluice in the dam, while the canals

served the purpose of water supply to the city. To this day, no matter where you are in

Amsterdam, there is a canal nearby.

Figure 01 : Former Amsterdam

City Quarters

Figure 02 & 03 : Current, eight Amsterdam City Quarters

Figure 04 : Amsterdam,

1538 (looking from north to

south) - The pre-1600 Inner

city.

Figure 05 : The dam in the

centre is now Dam Square. The pattern of the old city is

still intact, with some of the

waterways now paved.

Figure 06 : The Canal ring today.


Inhabited mostly by craftsmen, traders and farmers, Amsterdam were granted a city charter

around 1300 by the Bishop of Utrecht. Some historians believe that this charter actually

confirmed the city’s rights given by the Lord of Aemstel in 1200.

Medieval Amsterdam

Around 1300, the city had around 1,000 inhabitants, and 5,000 a century later. Amsterdam

acquired an independent parish in 1334. The 12th-Century floods destroyed a large part of the

farmland, so the population turned to crafts, fishing and shipping to sustain itself. The

construction of the dam turned the estuary of the Amstel into a natural port (present-day

Damrak), the oldest port of the city. Initially, Amsterdam was a fishing port, but over time its

inhabitants began to concentrate more on trade. Trade began to flourish in the 14th Century,

when the fishermen started to sell their catches to foreign markets.

Amsterdam developed as a major centre of commerce after it began trading with the Baltic

countries and the coastal areas near the German part of the North Sea. The Count of Holland

granted the city a beer toll in 1323. This was the most important privilege secured by the

city in its history. As a result, it became a major beer market. As a result, Amsterdam gained

control of the entire Baltic trade, and maintained it from the end of the 1400s onward. This

business formed the backbone of Amsterdam’s commercial success for hundreds of years. It

gave rise to the golden age of the city.

In Medieval times, most of the houses in the city were made of wood. Medieval timber

frames support a great deal of the houses today. These houses are actually several centuries old.

They were renovated with new facades in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Stone was reserved for

important buildings like city gates, abbeys, and churches. Most of the wooden houses were

destroyed by fires in 1421 and 1452. After the last fire, city authorities banned the

construction of wooden side walls. However, it took a long time to create a city of stone from a

city of ashes. It wasn’t until the 17th Century that wooden facades finally disappeared.

The Golden Age

Amsterdam officially joined the revolt against Spanish rule in 1578. The city council, which was

aligned with Catholic Spain, was replaced by a Protestant council. This was an important event


in the city’s history. Another milestone was the fall of Antwerp in 1585. The blockade of the

Scheldt that ensued allowed Amsterdam to become the most significant market in the world.

This marked the beginning of Amsterdam’s Golden Age. The city’s dockside warehouses,

which are a landmark today, were brimming with goods from all parts of the globe.

The city then entered its first stage of expansion. The first project aimed to improve the

fortifications. The Swanenburg bulwark was designed, and new defensive walls were built.

After Antwerp fell, there was an influx of refugees, and many of them settled outside the walls.

Suburbs began to develop, and so further expansion was necessary. The first stage of the

famous canal ring was completed in 1613, and the ring itself was completed in 1663.

The Golden Age was in full swing. The rate of immigration skyrocketed, as did the corn trade

turnover. Amsterdam became the first modern urban-industrial area the world had ever seen. By

the turn of the 17th Century, Amsterdam was the largest, most powerful and the wealthiest

city of the Dutch Republic. Amsterdam was ruled by an oligarchy which had influence

throughout Holland. At the English war, France invaded Holland in 1672. Amsterdam panicked,

and government stock and the shares of the Dutch East India Company took a plunge.

This marked the end of Amsterdam’s Golden Age. The legacy of this period continues to be

felt. The center of Amsterdam acquired its characteristic shape during the Golden Age.

Figure 09: The Canal ring today.

Figure08: A 1657 map showing the

large canal ring extension.

Figure 10: De Jordaan was

also part of the first canal ring.

/extension.

Figure 07: The Defense Line of Amsterdam is a 135 km long circular defense at 15-20 km around the capital

Amsterdam.


Figure 11: The urban expansions

were so well-planned along canal

ring, that no further expansion was

necessary until the 19th Century.

The canal ring was completed in a

short time. Typified by straight canals

and compact districts, the city’s

development was fully in line with

the Enlightenment ideals of the time.

Amsterdam from the 17th

century onwards.

After France invaded Holland, a mobilization was called in Amsterdam. Eventually, the cold

weather forced the French army to retreat. Trade recovered, however, and another period of

prosperity began, which proved to be even more glorious than the Golden Age. All other

Dutch towns suffered from a recession, but not Amsterdam. The city was not affected by the

decline of industry in the 17th and 18th Centuries, because it was a centre of commerce, not

industry. During the 18th Century, Amsterdam was the main market in Europe along with

Hamburg and London. In 1747, France attacked Holland again. This resulted in mass panic.

Amsterdam lease-holders revolted in 1748. William IV succeeded in stabilizing the power

structure, and Amsterdam continued to enjoy peace and prosperity.

The Seven Years’ War, in which most European countries took part, broke out in 1756. Holland

remained neutral. Amsterdam profited from the war. The Fourth English War, declared in 1780,

proved disastrous to Amsterdam’s trade. The Republic of Holland entered a period of decline,

along with its greatest city. Most of the houses in the centre of Amsterdam date back to the

18th Century. These houses were built for common citizens and rich merchants alike. The

most common design was that of the canal house with a gabled façade, elegant stairways,

imposing parlors and vast corridors. Many of these impressive residences survive fully intact.

1300 1400 1600

1625 1725 1900


They are monuments to the city’s prosperity during this age. Very few houses were built during

the late 18th Century.

France declared war on Holland in 1793. The French army invaded the country in 1794, and

approached Amsterdam in 1795. Louis Napoleon, the brother of Napoleon, entered The Hague in

1806. Under Napoleon, Amsterdam’s trade almost collapsed. There was a significant

population drop in the city. A troubled era had arrived. After France annexed Holland,

Amsterdam received the status of third capital of the Empire. By that time, the city had lost all of

its economic and political power, and its status as a pseudo-polis belonged to the past. The

French reformed the old government and transformed The Netherlands into a uniform state.

The House of Orange returned to the political scene in 1813.

The Netherlands turned into a kingdom. King William I of

Orange moved the Dutch Trading Company to Amsterdam to

help the city recuperate from the recession. This move proved

successful, and the company took control of trade with all

Dutch colonies, making the city a commercial centre once

again. The city expanded concentrically in these years after,

according to the 1876 Plan-Kalff.

A channel was built to connect the city and the North Sea,

enabling large sea vessels to have easy access to Amsterdam.

Another channel connecting Amsterdam to the Rhine was

opened, making the city a major transit port. Finally, the

Central Railway Station was completed in 1889.

All these improvements and developments facilitated population

growth – the city’s population increased from around

180,000 in 1810 to approximately 520,000 by 1900. Over the course of the Industrial

Revolution, which began to influence the city in 1870, many people migrated from the

countryside to seek prosperity. The city once again faced the need for expansion, and several

construction projects were implemented.

Figure 12: The 1876 Plan-Kalff

Figure 13: Statsliedenburt, part

of the 1876 Plan-Kalff.


Amsterdam’s economy flourished up

until the 1920s. The next largest

expansions were undertaken

between 1920 and 1940, consisting

of Plan Zuid (South), designed

by Berlage, and Plan West.

These developments included a lot

of Amsterdam School of architecture.

References : Amsterdam morphology, A History.[2013], City breaths – represention of the urban environment,

Retrived from http://citybreaths.com/tagged/Amsterdam.

Defense line of Amsterdam. [2011], World Heritage list, Retrived from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/759 .

Figure 14 : Plan Zuid.

Figure 15 : Plan Zuid today.

During that decade and the following

one, the city suffered from the global

economic recession. There were

efforts to build more houses to

accommodate the fast-growing

population, but they came to

nothing in light of the outbreak of

World War II.

After the war, there was a cultural

revolution in the city, transforming it

into the so-called magical centre of

Europe.

Figure 16 : Different Urban density patterns of today’s Amsterdam.

Figure 17 : Evolution of the urban volume of Amsterdam.

amsterdam report

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