houseboat walking tour

our walking tour begins 4 maintenance must be taken to the shipyard every with the canal route, which Immediately after the bridge on 3 to 6 years for maintenance. provides answers to many of the Berenstraat, across the canal the questions asked about from no. 447, you will see Musard, 5 mooring spot living on the water. the tour a French ship that dates to 1926. After no. 337, there are no then continues with the When the ship has to go to the houseboats in the canal until the amstel route, featuring nine shipyard, the large pilothouse has Westerkerk church. Houseboats have extraordinary houseboats. to be dismantled so that it can fixed berths which are included in don’t forget to mind the (bike) fit under the bridges. In the case the zoning plan. There are currently traffic. enjoy! of smaller boats, the roof of the about 900 houseboats in the city pilothouse is lifted off by hand, centre – that is the maximum canal route (2 km) after which the hinged walls are number permitted. In some canals, start: houseboat museum folded down. A houseboat which there are no houseboats at all (prinsengracht 296k) has a substructure that can rust because the bridges are too low. 

BROUWERSGRACHT 1 utilities HET IJ Gas, water and sewage hoses run CENTRAL between the water’s edge and the PRINS STATION Hendrika Maria. Electrical and HENDRIKKADE 13 telephone lines are strung above 9 PRINSEN 10 12 street level. To prevent freezing, the STRAAT HEREN sewage and water hoses are insulated 8 STRAAT 11 and fitted with heat ribbons.

7 ZIJDSVOORBURGWAL EGELANTIERSGRACHT LELIEGRACHT

2 ark, schark or ship NIEUWENDIJK 6 NIEUWE These are the three basic types BLOEMGRACHT of houseboats. After walking 150 DAMRAK metres, look left from the bridge on WARMOESSTRAAT ROZENGRACHT 5 DAM the Runstraat and you can see an ark, DAMSTRAAT NIEUW schark and ship, one after the other. MARKT

NES LAURIERGRACHT4

SPUISTRAAT KALVERSTRAAT BEREN WOLVEN 1 STRAAT STRAAT KLOVENIERSBURGWAL ELANDSGRACHT LANGE 3 BRUGSTEEG GRIMBU OUDE RGW RUN HUIDEN AL STRAAT 2 STRAAT TURFMARKT STOPERA 15 GROENBURGWAL NIEUWE CITY HALL LOOIERSGRACHT DOELENSTRAAT 14 MUNT PLEIN SINGEL 16 HERENGRACHT KEIZERSGRACHT

PRINSENGRACHT BLAUWBRUG17

3 shock absorbers NIEUWE KEIZERS Lying opposite Prinsengracht 509 GRACHT WATER 18 is a lead-clad schark, which is ROADS / BRIDGES MAGERE protected from the wall by shock WALKING ROUTE BRUG AMSTEL absorbers. They ensure that a little CONNECTING ROUTE (2 KM) VIJZELSTRAAT VELD CARRÉ

bit of waves will not cause your TRAIN TRACKS 21 REGULIERSGRACHT coffee to slosh out of your cup. 1 POINTS OF INTEREST 22 20 19 AMSTEL VONDELPARK If boats cruise past faster than APPROX. 100 M ACHTER GRACHT the permissible 7.5 km/h, shock © Houseboat Museum Amsterdam 2014 LIJNBAANSGRACHT

absorbers aren’t sufficient. This map is a general representation. UTRESCHTSESTRAAT

25 Window in the ‘Amsterdam School’ style

Point of interest 4: The pilothouse of Liève being dismantled Point of interest 15: The Wiekslag

6 pilothouse shape of the ark. Locals refer to this Lying directly opposite the Westerkerk boat as the Cigar. is a hagenaar, the same kind of ship as the Houseboat Museum. This 10 most popular snapshot particular ship dates to 1906. At a Amsterdam’s most photographed certain point, its sails were replaced by houseboats lie to the left of the a motor and the mast and boom were bridge over the Keizersgracht. A Point of interest 8: A concrete frame can also float removed. This makes it look a lot more number of these were once sailing bare, though it does have pilothouse. cargo ships. The canals used to be the Cat Boat, a world-famous shelter full of these kinds of ships. for stray cats since 1968. Each year, 7 bridges and water level the Cat Boat finds owners for over All 252 bridges in the city centre 11 ms suzanne 250 animals. have been assigned a number (look Lying across the Singel canal opposite for the number “61” in white on the no. 98 is Suzanne, a motor barge from metal undercarriage of the bridge). 1923. It has a lovely window which amstel route (1,5 km) The vertical clearance is known for dates from the time when the boat start: groenburgwal 65 each bridge. Because the water level was used by prostitutes. fluctuates, this must be taken into 14 smallest houseboat account when the houseboat is being 12 donald duck boat Lying opposite no. 65 on the towed – otherwise the boat might Lying across the Singel canal Groenburgwal is the smallest get stuck. This can be prevented by opposite no. 17 is De Nieuwe Gerrit, houseboat on the route. Here, the taking tubs of water on board to a ship quite like one you might see quay walls have also been reinforced serve as ballast, which will cause the in Donald Duck. It looks like a real with steel panels to prevent them boat to lie deeper in the water. ship, but it can’t sail under its own from collapsing and the canal power. It was built to be a houseboat houses from subsiding. This kind of 8 concrete frame and has a spacious interior, with restoration is a very expensive and Houseboat no. 213M has a concrete vertical walls instead of the curved time-consuming process. frame, which means it will not rust walls that characterise a ship. and therefore doesn’t need to be 15 amsterdam school taken to the shipyard. Lying opposite Zwanenburgwal 182 is the white-green Wiekslag, 9 the cigar which was designed in 1924 by A.P. From the Prinsensluis bridge, you Smits in the ‘Amsterdam School’ will see a houseboat to the right that 13 the cat boat architectural style. The decorative deviates from the typical “shoebox” Lying next to De Nieuwe Gerrit is façade is characteristic of this style.

26 Point of interest 21: De Dogger, originally used as a freshwater hauler Drawing Jan Bouman, 1954 Point of interest 21: De Dogger, originally used as a freshwater hauler Drawing Jan Bouman, 1954

Point of interest 20: Bridges arches designed for the grain lighters Point of interest 20: Bridges arches designed for the grain lighters 16 cutter Lying16 cutter immediately before the BlauwbrugLying immediately is a cutter. before It is exceptional the inBlauwbrug that most is ofa cutter. the boats It is alongexceptional the inquay that are most former of the barges boats that along are the no quaylonger are seaworthy. former barges This ship that isare too no longerlarge and seaworthy. has too muchThis ship of a isdraught too largefor the and canals, has too but much that’s of no a adraught forproblem the canals, on the but river that’s Amstel. no a problem on the river Amstel. Point of interest 18: A pontoon bridge 17 VICTOR IV Point of interest 18: A pontoon bridge Lying17 victor immediately iv after the Blauwbrug John’). Just like Victor IV, the opposite Café Marcella, is De Dogger, isLying a Groningen immediately tjalk, after with the decorativeBlauwbrug ownerJohn’). wasJust fond like Victorof using IV ,discarded the aopposite ship with Café a wooden Marcella superstructure., is De Dogger, lanterns.is a Groningen The American tjalk, with artist decorative Walter materials.owner was Jantje fond wasof using featured discarded in Untila ship 1888, with athe wooden ship was superstructure. used to Glück,lanterns. who The went American by the nameartist ofWalter Victor amaterials. TV series Jantje about was Ramses featured Shaffy, in transportUntil 1888, clean the watership was to the used Amstel to IVGlück,, constructed who went a by world the name made of out Victor a TVfamous series Dutch about singer Ramses who Shaffy, had Brewery.transport Theclean Dogger water familyto the Amstellater ofIV ,discarded constructed materials. a world He made drowned out oncea famous briefl Dutch y lived singer on a houseboat.who had boughtBrewery. the The freshwater Dogger family hauler later to use nextof discarded to his boat materials. in 1986. He His drowned fl oating Houseboatsonce briefly are lived frequently on a houseboat. used as inbought their thefuel freshwater trade. Amstelveld hauler to was use legacynext to of his huts, boat chickens in 1986. and His goats floating televisionHouseboats and are movie frequently sets. used as thein their site offuel coal trade. and Amstelveld peat trading was at haslegacy almost of huts, completely chickens disappeared. and goats television and movie sets. the time.site of After coal andthe emergencepeat trading of at has almost completely disappeared. 20 grain lighter naturalthe time. gas, After De Doggerthe emergence was converted of 18 bridge ship The20 grain Broedertrouw lighter, which lies intonatural a houseboat. gas, De Dogger It would was convertedbe The18 bridge ship opposite ship no. 57 on the oppositeThe Broedertrouw Achtergracht, which 17, lies was used wonderfulinto a houseboat. if this flIt oating would monument be AmstelThe ship dates opposite to1857 no. and 57 onwas the one of toopposite transport Achtergracht grain. This 17,type was of usedship werewonderful to be ifrenovated. this floating monument severalAmstel bridgedates to1857 ships that and were was oneused of onceto transport had rounded grain. Thishatch type covers. of ship were to be renovated. toseveral span bridgethe river ships Waal. that There were wasused Bridgeonce had arches rounded in the hatch city’s covers. canals 22 rajpootana enoughto span theroom river between Waal. Therethe bollards was wereBridge designed arches in for the these city’s wooden canals Lying22 rajpootana just beyond De Dogger, on the toenough serve roomas a road. between the bollards hatches.were designed This is for the these last example wooden of oppositeLying just side beyond of the De Prinsengracht, Dogger, on the to serve as a road. thishatches. ship Thistype isknown the last to example exist. of isopposite a creatively side ofstyled the Prinsengracht,houseboat with 19 JANTJE this ship type known to exist. stainedis a creatively glass windows. styled houseboat Extra living with Lying19 jantje opposite Achtergracht 31 is 21 freshwater hauler spacestained was glass created windows. by building Extra living above theLying hippy opposite houseboat Achtergracht Jantje (‘Little 31 is Tied21 freshwater up by Amstelveld, hauler diagonally thespace boat was frame created at bothby building ends. ￭ above the hippy houseboat Jantje (‘Little Tied up by Amstelveld, diagonally the boat frame at both ends. ￭

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Houseboat Museum Amsterdam Prinsengracht 296K 1016 HW Amsterdam The Netherlands www.houseboatmuseum.nl