World Heritage Identification Number: 1349
World Heritage since: 2010
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht: A Masterpiece of Urban Planning
The Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, stands as a testament to the ingenuity and foresight of the Dutch Golden Age. This historic urban ensemble, located in the heart of Amsterdam, offers a unique blend of architectural splendor, cultural richness, and historical significance that has captivated visitors for centuries.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The historic urban ensemble of the canal district of Amsterdam was a project for a new ‘port city’ built at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. It comprises a network of canals to the west and south of the historic old town and the medieval port that encircled the old town and was accompanied by the repositioning inland of the city’s fortified boundaries, the Singelgracht. This was a long-term programme that involved extending the city by draining the swampland, using a system of canals in concentric arcs and filling in the intermediate spaces. These spaces allowed the development of a homogeneous urban ensemble including gabled houses and numerous monuments. This urban extension was the largest and most homogeneous of its time. It was a model of large-scale town planning, and served as a reference throughout the world until the 19th century.
Encyclopedia Record: Grachtengordel
The Grachtengordel, known in English as the Canal District, is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010. The Amsterdam Canal District consists of the area around the city's four main canals: the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. From the Brouwersgracht, the canals are generally parallel with one another, leading gradually southeast into the Amstel river.Additional Site Details
Area: 198.2 hectares
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 52.365 , 4.8877777778
Image
© Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA). The author is BMZ (Bureau Monumentenzorg). Original uploader was Siebrand at nl.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by Eriksw at nl.wikipedia., Attribution Resized from original.
