Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [35]
Almost directly opposite, on the west bank of the canal, the Kleine Trippenhuis, at no. 26 (now a lingerie shop), is by contrast one of the narrowest houses in Amsterdam, albeit with an attractively carved facade and a balustrade featuring centaurs and sphinxes. Legend has it that Mr Trip’s coachman was so taken aback by the size of the new family mansion that he exclaimed he would be happy with a home no wider than the Trips’ front door – which is exactly what he got; his reaction to his new lodgings is not recorded.
A few metres south, on the corner of Oude Hoogstraat, is the former headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, the Oostindisch Huis, a monumental red-brick structure with high-pitched gables and perky dormer windows, built in 1605 shortly after the founding of the company. It was from here that the Company organized and regulated its immensely lucrative trading interests in the Far East, importing shiploads of spices, perfumes and exotic woods (see "The Dutch East India Company"). This trade underpinned Amsterdam’s Golden Age; predictably, the people of what is now Indonesia, the source of most of the raw materials, received little in return. Nevertheless, despite the building’s historic significance, the interior is of no interest today, being occupied by university classrooms and offices.
Further south, Kloveniersburgwal leads into the student district, where the buildings here and along adjoining canals house the various departments of the University of Amsterdam. At the heart of this is the Oudemanhuispoort (Mon–Sat 10am–4pm), a covered passageway that leads between Kloveniersburgwal and OZ Achterburgwal. Now lined by secondhand book stalls, it was formerly part of an almshouse complex for elderly men – hence the unusual name. The buildings on either side are part of the university and their gardens provide a quiet place to rest between sights. Afterwards, you can either wander through the university’s peaceful precincts or cross the south end of Kloveniersburgwal to one of the prettiest corners of the city – a pocket of placid waterways and old canal houses that extends east to Zwanenburgwal. If you cross the canal along Staalstraat and stop at the second of the two little swing bridges, you’ll get one of the finest views in the city, down the slender Groenburgwal with the Zuiderkerk looming beyond.
The Old Centre | Nieuwmarkt and around |
The Zuiderkerk
The Zuiderkerk (Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat noon–4pm; free), dating from 1611, was the first Amsterdam church built specifically for the Protestants. It was designed by the prolific architect and sculptor, Hendrick de Keyser, whose distinctive – and very popular – style extrapolated elements of traditional Flemish design, with fanciful detail and frilly towers added wherever possible. The basic design of the Zuiderkerk is firmly Gothic, but the soaring tower (Zuidertoren) is a fine illustration of de Keyser’s work, complete with balconies and balustrades, arches, urns and columns.
The church was deconsecrated in the 1930s, but it was here that the bodies of the dead were temporarily stored and piled up during the terrible winter of 1944–45. In the late 1980s, it was turned into a municipal information centre with displays on housing and the environment, plus temporary exhibitions revealing the city council’s future plans; exhibits on roads and infrastructure changes attract considerable interest. The tower, which has a separate entrance, can be climbed