NDSM wharf
You can see from my last few photos that I’m in a very different area from ‘Old Amsterdam’.
NDSM is a former shipping wharf area in north-west Amsterdam now used as a space for artists/exhibitions/festivals and also includes offices and student housing. The shipyard started life in the 19th century. NDSM - Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij or Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company - was Amsterdam's largest shipbuilding facility for about a hundred years. In 1984 the facility went bankrupt and closed its doors - like many other European shipyards as the industry declined.
During the 1990s however, it became something of a haven for artists, squatters and skaters - and slowly, the area started to regenerate. The NDSM Wharf has blossomed into an enormous cultural hotspot in recent years with a vibrant artist community and an ever-expanding variety of bars and restaurants. The area hosts multi-disciplinary festivals, performances, exhibitions, dance parties and a wide range of other events in this unusual setting of post-industrial surroundings.
But there was nothing going on when we were there on a wet day.
NDSM wharf
You can see from my last few photos that I’m in a very different area from ‘Old Amsterdam’.
NDSM is a former shipping wharf area in north-west Amsterdam now used as a space for artists/exhibitions/festivals and also includes offices and student housing. The shipyard started life in the 19th century. NDSM - Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij or Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company - was Amsterdam's largest shipbuilding facility for about a hundred years. In 1984 the facility went bankrupt and closed its doors - like many other European shipyards as the industry declined.
During the 1990s however, it became something of a haven for artists, squatters and skaters - and slowly, the area started to regenerate. The NDSM Wharf has blossomed into an enormous cultural hotspot in recent years with a vibrant artist community and an ever-expanding variety of bars and restaurants. The area hosts multi-disciplinary festivals, performances, exhibitions, dance parties and a wide range of other events in this unusual setting of post-industrial surroundings.
But there was nothing going on when we were there on a wet day.