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22-468: Negen Straatjes comprises nine side streets off the Prinsengracht , Keizersgracht , Herengracht and Singel in central Amsterdam which have been promoting themselves with that name since the 1990s. Together they form a sub-neighborhood within the larger western Grachtengordel (English: Canal Belt ), one with many small and diverse shops and restaurants. The construction in this area goes back to

44-542: A war memorial named De Eendracht (The Unity) was unveiled inside the square before King William III . A stone column with a female statue on top, the monument acquired the nickname "Naatje of the Dam". It was taken down in 1914. During World War II , the Netherlands were occupied by Nazi Germany . On 7 May 1945, two days after German capitulation , thousands of Dutch people were waiting for Canadian troops to arrive on

66-543: Is a 3.2-kilometer (2.0 mi)-long canal that runs parallel to the Keizersgracht in the center of Amsterdam . The canal, named after the Prince of Orange , is the fourth of the four main canals belonging to the canal belt . Construction started in 1612 on the initiative of Mayor Frans Hendricksz. Oetgens, after a design by city carpenter Hendrick Jacobsz Staets and city surveyor Lucas Jansz Sinck. The part between

88-736: The Leidsegracht and the Amstel was developed during the city expansion of 1658. The section to the east of the Amstel was constructed during the last expansion. This part was named Nieuwe Prinsengracht. The Korte Prinsengracht is in the extension of the Prinsengracht between the Brouwersgracht and the Westerdok . There are many monuments and monumental canal houses on the Prinsengracht, including: The Prinsengracht starts in

110-583: The Netherlands . Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Dam Square lies in the historical center of Amsterdam, approximately 750 metres (2,500 ft) south of the main transportation hub, Centraal Station , at the original location of the dam in the river Amstel . It is roughly rectangular in shape, stretching about 200 metres (650 ft) from west to east and about 100 metres (350 ft) from north to south. It links

132-720: The Dam square in Amsterdam. In the Grote Club , on the corner of Kalverstraat and Paleisstraat, members of the German Kriegsmarine watched as the crowd below their balcony grew and people danced and cheered. The Germans then placed a machine gun on the balcony and started shooting into the crowds. The motives behind the shooting have remained unclear; the Germans were drunk and possibly angered because contrary to previous agreement Dutch police had arrested members of

154-547: The Dam was the most important tram hub of Amsterdam. After 1900, this function moved to the Central Station, at the other end of the Damrak. Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, Amsterdam's main square became a "national" square well known to nearly everyone in the Netherlands. It has frequently been the location of demonstrations and events of all kinds, and a meeting place for many people. On 4 May every year,

176-534: The German military. The shooting finally came to an end after a member of the Dutch resistance climbed into the tower of the royal palace and started shooting onto the balcony and into the club. At that moment, a German officer together with a Resistance commander found their way into the club and convinced the men to surrender. At the brink of peace, 120 people were badly injured and 22 pronounced dead. In 2013, evidence

198-501: The Nine Little Streets as a shopping area came from a few entrepreneurs such as Djoeke Wessing. They wanted a common name for the area and give it a kind of allure as the more notable nearby neighborhood of Jordaan . This would promote cooperation and business growth, but also attract more tourists to the hitherto relatively unknown area. The "Association of the 9 Streets" was founded on November 12, 1996. Nobody thought it

220-803: The city expanded in four stages between 1585 and 1665. Around 1612, during the Twelve Years' Truce , the third expansion of the city began with the reclamation of the Grachtengordel (including the area now known as Negen Straatjes) and the Jordaan between Brouwersgracht en Leidsegracht. The majority of the buildings in Negen Straatjes date from the 18th century, with little remaining of the original 17th century buildings. There are more than 140 national ( Dutch : rijksmonument ) and municipal monuments in Negen Straatjes. The idea to promote

242-446: The dam in the Amstel' or 'at the dam of Amstelland'. As the dam was gradually built up it became wide enough for a town square, which remained the core of the town developing around it. Dam Square as it exists today grew out of what was originally two squares: the actual dam, called Middeldam , on which was located a large fish market ( vismarkt ) where ships moored at the dam to load and unload goods; and Plaetse , an adjacent plaza to

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264-522: The first half of the 17th century. Negen Straatjes is bordered on the north by the Raadhuisstraat and on the south by the Leidsegracht . In between, the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel are intersected by three cross streets - but each of the cross streets has different names in each of its sections between the canals. From the Prinsengracht towards the Singel and beginning with

286-636: The former mouth of the Amstel River, was partially filled in the 19th century; since then, the Dam square has been surrounded by land on all sides. The new land made room for the Beurs van Zocher, a stock exchange that was built in 1837. After the stock trade moved to the Beurs van Berlage in 1903, the Zocher building was demolished. In its place, De Bijenkorf department store has stood since 1914. In 1856,

308-490: The north at the Brouwersgracht, bends parallel to the Keizersgracht to the southeast and flows into the Amstel. The odd numbered side of the canal is on the side of the heart of the city ( Dam Square ). The Prinsengracht is spanned by 14 bridges, all fixed: Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam ( Dutch pronunciation: [dɑm] ) is a town square in Amsterdam , the capital and most populated city of

330-510: The northernmost streets, the streets are: The names are reminders of many of the types of work that were carried out here in centuries past, especially the processing of skins (cow, bear, wolf and roe deer skins). Until the end of the 16th century, the city of Amsterdam encompassed the area inside the Singel and what is now Kloveniersburgwal. After the Alteration and change in management,

352-490: The sides of the river. The dam was originally built with a discharge sluice to allow control of the water level of the newly dammed river, but would soon be rebuilt with locks which also permitted navigation between the dammed river and the new harbor, the Damrak . The settlement first appeared in a document from 1275, concerning a road toll granted by the count of Holland Floris V to the residents apud Amestelledamme 'at

374-510: The square is the neoclassical Royal Palace , which served as the city hall from 1655 until its conversion to a royal residence in 1808. Beside it are the 15th-century Gothic Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and the Madame Tussauds Amsterdam Wax Museum. The National Monument , a white stone pillar designed by J.J.P. Oud and erected in 1956 to memorialize the victims of World War II , dominates the opposite side of

396-558: The square. Also overlooking the plaza are the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky and the upscale department store De Bijenkorf . These various attractions have turned the Dam into a tourist zone. The Dam derives its name from its original function: a dam on the Amstel River, hence also the name of the city of Amsterdam. Built in approximately 1270, the dam formed the first connection between the settlements on

418-459: The streets Damrak and Rokin , which run along the original course of the Amstel River from Centraal Station to Muntplein (Mint Square) and the Munttoren (Mint Tower). The Dam also marks the endpoint of the other well-traveled streets Nieuwendijk , Kalverstraat and Damstraat. A short distance beyond the northeast corner lies the main red-light district : De Wallen . On the west end of

440-406: The west. The area became a centre not only of commercial activity but also of the government, as the site of Amsterdam's town hall . As a market square , the Dam had a weigh house that can be seen in some old paintings. It was demolished in 1808 by order of Louis Bonaparte who, upon taking up residence in the newly converted Royal Palace, complained that his view was obstructed. The Damrak, or

462-878: Was a good name at the time, but the name has stuck, and the area retains the name. The yearly Prinsengrachtconcert (English: Prinsengracht Concert ) in August takes places at the corner of the Prinsengracht and the Reestraat at Pulitzer Amsterdam. In recent years the Hazenstraat, a side street off the Elandsgracht in the Jordaan , close to Negen Straatjes, has called itself the Tenth Street (Dutch: Tiende Straatje ). 52°22′12″N 4°53′09″E  /  52.37000°N 4.88583°E  / 52.37000; 4.88583 Prinsengracht The Prinsengracht

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484-416: Was brought to light that suggested the number may have been higher: possibly 33 people died, and there were 10 more unconfirmed possible victims. Dam Square was the central scene of the largest post-war civil disturbance in the Netherlands during the Amsterdam coronation riots on 30 April 1980. Several tram lines traverse the Dam and have stops there. In the time of the horse tram (end 19th century),

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