After the Burning. Lastage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Public Library is open again after a long closure due to Covid-19. So I went up to the roof terrace and this is part of what I saw.
This part of Amsterdam is called the Nieuwmarktbuurt or for those with a sense of history, the 'Lastage'. In the Middle Ages this area was just outside the city walls and it was the major place for shipbuilding and the lading of ships; 'lastage' derives from 'lastaede', ships' ballast. (Actually, a friend tells me, it's the other way around: 'lastage' is a ships' wharf, and 'lastaede' is derived from it.) Lots of wood and timber there of course that could easily catch fire.
During the Guelders Wars (1502-1543) the Lastage was burnt down in 1512. Soon afterwards the city decided to strengthen its defenses. New canals were dug among which the then-called Nieuwe Gracht (now the Oudeschans) and the excavated material was used for a bulwark with pallisade. On the Zuiderzee end of the canal a defense tower was built to afford a view of the sea and any enemies that might be venturing to Amsterdam by ship. That tower (1516) is the Montelbaanstoren (on the far left in the photo).
On the far right is the Zuiderkerk, the first church in Amsterdam built for protestant use (1603-1614).
After the Burning. Lastage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Public Library is open again after a long closure due to Covid-19. So I went up to the roof terrace and this is part of what I saw.
This part of Amsterdam is called the Nieuwmarktbuurt or for those with a sense of history, the 'Lastage'. In the Middle Ages this area was just outside the city walls and it was the major place for shipbuilding and the lading of ships; 'lastage' derives from 'lastaede', ships' ballast. (Actually, a friend tells me, it's the other way around: 'lastage' is a ships' wharf, and 'lastaede' is derived from it.) Lots of wood and timber there of course that could easily catch fire.
During the Guelders Wars (1502-1543) the Lastage was burnt down in 1512. Soon afterwards the city decided to strengthen its defenses. New canals were dug among which the then-called Nieuwe Gracht (now the Oudeschans) and the excavated material was used for a bulwark with pallisade. On the Zuiderzee end of the canal a defense tower was built to afford a view of the sea and any enemies that might be venturing to Amsterdam by ship. That tower (1516) is the Montelbaanstoren (on the far left in the photo).
On the far right is the Zuiderkerk, the first church in Amsterdam built for protestant use (1603-1614).