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De Jordaan: Amsterdam's Unique Borough
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13114 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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11 / 1987 |
6,410 Words |
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Cees Strauss and Aaltje van Valderen
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From the tower of Amsterdam's Westerkerk (West Church) one gains an excellent view of De Jordaan, the labyrinthine neighborhood that lies at its feet. A stranger could easily become lost among its narrow streets and tall houses. Sometimes from the streets, one can see a shaft of sunlight coming from the sky above the canals that crisscross De Jordaan and lace all of Amsterdam. The houses in these narrow side streets and alleys still reflect the poverty that in past times typified many Jordaners, while larger houses along De Jordaan's canal thoroughfares bespeak slightly more prosperous inhabitants.
The contrast between the two types of residences gives this neighborhood its undeniable charm for today's visitor. But it was this combination that made De Jordaan, in yesteryear, a self-contained village within the greater cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam. Today the borough, more than three hundred years old, is rapidly changing.
During the last twenty years, many homes have been restored to their original state. This conservation provides an idea of how the neighborhood appeared in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. De Jordaan's character is all the more evident since its architectural integrity has suffered little damage throughout its history, making its past relatively easy to trace.
The history of De Jordaan begins on August 3, 1609, when the city government of Amsterdam requested the States of Holland to expand the city boundaries with new developments. The request was granted. The medieval heart of the city was to be expanded in all directions, creating another set of canal rings around the old core of the city. The resulting grachten (canals with streets and houses on either side) are the city's three most beautiful: the Prinsengracht (Princes' Canal), the Keizersgracht (Emperors' Canal), and the Herengracht (Lords' Canal).
The expansion was to take place on land from the city polder. Between 1612 and 1660, on the polder to the west of Amsterdam, which had previously consisted of small gardens, paths, ditches, and fallow areas, the new development was built. Houses were constructed along former paths and on both sides of the ditches--the one became De Jordaan's famous labyrinthine streets and the other its canals. The urban layout remains basically intact, even though a few canals wee filled up to make room for increasing traffic. Originally, however, little or nothing was done regarding water management and sewage, whose effects, despite modern improvements, are still experienced today.
The new neighborhood was given the name Het Nieuwe Werck (The New Work). This title was kept during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries until, in 1730 the name De Jordaan suddenly appeared. Since then Amsterdammers have used this name for the borough on the other side of the Prinsengracht. De Jordaan's boundaries are the Brouwersgracht (Brewers' Canal) in the north; the short Passeerdersgracht in the South; and the Prinsengracht and Lijnbaansgracht (Rope-walk Canal) run almost parallel to one another on the east and west.
Several hypotheses have attempted to explain the origin of De Jordaan's name. Some historians say that it is a bastardization of jurisdictie (jurisdiction), the legal name for the land on which the borough was built. Others say it was the name of a well-known home in the seventeenth century, which
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