The Amsterdam Treasure Room the City’S History in Twenty-Four Striking Stories and Photographs

Home , Amstel, Brouwersgracht, Canals of Amsterdam, Dam Square, Goudsbloemgracht, Johnny Jordaan

The Amsterdam Treasure Room The city’s history in twenty-four striking stories and photographs

Preface

Amsterdam’s history is a treasure trove of stories and wonderful documents, and the Amsterdam City Archives is its guardian. Watching over more than 50 kilometers of shelves with old books and papers, photographs, maps, prints and drawings, and housed in the monumental De Bazel building, the archive welcomes everyone to delve into the city’s rich history. Wander through the Treasure Room, dating from 1926. Watch an old movie in our Movie Theatre. Find out about Rembrandt or Johan Cruyff and their times. Marvel at the medieval charter cabinet. And follow the change from a small city in a medieval world to a world city in our times.

Bert de Vries Director Treasure Room Amsterdam City Archives 06

04 B

01 08 09

10 Floor -1 C 11

A 12

E 06 F D 05 0 -2 04

03 H 02 G 08 01 09

10 I Floor -2 11 I 12

J I

K A D L 0 -2

4 Showcases Floor -1 Showcases Floor -2 The city’s history The city’s history seen by photographers in twelve striking stories

07 01 The first photographs 01 The origins of Amsterdam 08 of Amsterdam Praying and fighting 02 Jacob Olie 02 in the Middle Ages The turbulent 03 Jacob Olie 03 sixteenth century An immigrant city 04 George Hendrik Breitner 04 in the Dutch Golden Age 05 Bernard F. Eilers 05 Amsterdam and slavery Photography studio 06 Merkelbach 06 Foundlings in a waning city Amsterdam Zoo 07 Frits J. Rotgans 07 ‘Natura Artis Magistra’ 08 Wim van der Linden 08 1883 World Fair

09 Department of Public Works 09 The Second World War Provo’s, hippies 10 Cor Jaring 10 and squatters 11 City Archives photographers 11 I Amsterdam

12 IJbeeld Foundation 12 Moving outside

07 A Entrance Treasure Room E Archival storage 08 B Entrance Movie Theatre F Statue of Mercury

C Toilets G Medieval charter cabinet

D Elevator (between 0, -1 en -2) H Temporary exhibitions

I Former storage vaults Archival drawers J Orphan Chamber K Archival storage

L Former boiler room

5 6 The city’s history seen by photographers

Showcases

1 The first photographs of 7 Frits J. Rotgans Amsterdam 8 Wim van der Linden 2 Jacob Olie 9 Department of Public Works 3 Jacob Olie 10 Cor Jaring 4 George Hendrik Breitner 11 City Archive photographers 5 Bernard F. Eilers 12 IJbeeld Foundation 6 Photography studio Merkelbach

7 Showcase 1: The first photographs of Amsterdam

1. Portrait of Philip Jacob Waller, Hendrik Jan Waller and Karel Jan Waller, around 1845, daguerreotype (reproduction), archives of the Waller Family and the Waller Family Foundation

2. Group portrait of a couple and their six children, around 1845, daguerreotype (reproduction), archives of the Waller Family and the Waller Family Foundation

8 3

4 5

6 7

3. View of the Amstel facing the 5. The Paleis voor Volksvlijt or ‘Palace 7. Open Havenfront (former entrance of the Kloveniersburgwal of Industry’ under construction, Amsterdam harbour), 1856-1858, canal, May-June 1857, photo 1862-1863, stereoscopic photo by stereoscopic glass plate diapositive by Benjamin Brecknell Turner A. Jager (reproduction) by Pieter Oosterhuis (reproduction) (reproduction of a paper negative) As seen from the Oosterdoksdijk On the right, the Halvemaansbrug or 6. Dam Square, 1856-1858, facing the Schreierstoren and the Prins ‘Half-Moon Bridge’ and the ’s-Grave- stereoscopic glass plate diapositive Hendrikkade. On the right, the Nieuwe landseveer quay. by Pieter Oosterhuis (reproduction) Stadsherberg or ‘New City Inn’, the site The Monument to the People’s Spir- of the modern-day Amsterdam Central 4. The Paleis voor Volksvlijt or ‘Palace it shown in 1830, colloquially known Station. of Industry’ under construction, as ‘Naatje on the Dam’, which was 1862-63, stereoscopic photo by A. unveiled in 1856, with the Beurs van Jager (reproduction) Zocher commodity exchange in the The structure of the building as seen background. from the main hall.

9 Showcase 2: Jacob Olie

1. Oudeschans, February 1863 As seen from the Montelbaanstoren tower facing the bridge across the Recht Boomssloot canal. On the right, the entrance to the Ridderstraat, and on the left, the entrance to the bridge across the Oudeschans canal.

01 2 3

4 5 6

2. 5 Bokkinghangen (literary ‘Hanging 5. Mast yard ‘De Hoop’, 18 Grote Buckling’), 1862-1864 Bickersstraat 18, as seen from a The gate to the ‘Cat House’, named af- pier on the Westerdok, January- ter its gable bearing the image of a cat. April 1862 On the right, shipyard ‘De Hollandsche 3. Jacob Olie, 1862-1864 Tuin’. In the background, the gables Self-portrait with hat, pipe, and walking of the houses along the Grote Bick- stick, standing behind a chair bearing ersstraat. his little dog. 6. Wind-driven sawmills and wood 4. 10-11 Zandhoek, 1862-1864 stores along the western edge of On the left, at number 10, the Olie the city, 1861-64 family home. The woman standing in As seen from the ‘De Steur’ mill, looking the doorway is Christina Olie (1829- south out onto the Kattensloot (the 1910), Jacob Olie’s sister. Out on the modern-day Jacob Catskade). At the street is greengrocer Betje with her cart time, sawing wood was still done using of produce. wind force.

11 Showcase 3: Jacob Olie

1. Weteringschans and the Paleis voor Volksvlijt (Amsterdams Crystal Palace), March-April 1892 As seen from the balcony of 116 Weteringschans. In the front, the pile driving scaf- folds for the construction of the buildings on 120-124 Weteringschans.

21 2 3

4 5

2. Quay on the Prinseneiland or 4. Haarlemmerplein square and 6. Tweede Weteringplantsoen, April ‘Princes’ Island’, facing the Nieuwe the Haarlemmerpoort gate, 21 1902 Teertuinen (literally: ‘New Tar September 1894 Facing the Weteringschans and Nieu- Yard’) quay, 1890 In the foreground, Dirk Eskens, the we Vijzelstraat, with the Eerste HBS On the right, the Sloterdijk Bridge and photographer’s nephew, with his two or ‘Higher Civic School’ (a three-year the entrance to the Sloterdijkstraat. young sons. secondary school for boys) on the left, On the left, the windlass used by tar and the Eerste Ambachtsschool, the company ‘De Roovos’ to lift barrels of 5. Utrechtsestraat at the height first vocational school, on the right. tar from barges on the Prinseneilands- of the bridge across the gracht. Prinsengracht, 20 June 1898 Facing the Kerkstraat en Keizersgracht. 3. Dam Square, 6 June 1895 In the foreground, sisters Christiene and As seen from the Commandantshuis or Marietje Bouchier. ‘Commander’s House’ facing the Nieuwe Kerk or ‘New Church’, with the entrance to the Nieuwendijk on the right. In the foreground, the Monument to the People’s Spirit shown in 1830, colloquially known as ‘Naatje on the Dam’ (torn down in 1914).

31 Unknown photographer, Portrait of Hendrik Jan Waller en Karel Jan Waller, around 1845, daguerreotype. Archives of the Waller Family and the Waller Family Foundation (Showcase 1) In 1839, the year that the principle of photography was publicly announced, there were already photographers in Amsterdam, but their photographs are lost. The oldest photographs in the Stadsarchief are daguerreotypes, images on a light- sensitive metal plate, and preserved in a family archive.

41 Jacob Olie, Self-portrait,1862-1864 (Showcase 2) Jacob Olie (1833-1905) was trained as a carpenter and structural engineer. With his first camera, which he built himself, he photographed a dreamy Amsterdam in the years 1861-1864, barely touched by modernisation. When Olie started photographing again in 1890, the city had changed radically: dynamic, self-confident and building a new future. Until 1904 Olie would take thousands of - high quality - photographs, and his images still influence our view of Amsterdam around 1900.

George Hendrik Breitner, Haarlemmerstraat, 1906-1907 (Showcase 4) George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923) was above all a stubborn painter. With his camera and in his sketchbooks he captured everything that interested him: servants and passers-by on the street, working-class neighbourhoods and construction sites in the city.

51 Showcase 4: George Hendrik Breitner

1. 112-114 Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, 1908 Construction site for an office building.

61 2 3

2. Prinsengracht canal as seen 4. 2 Prinsengracht (on the left), 5. Oudezijds Achterburgwal at the from the bridge across the 1892-1896 height of number 4-6 (on the Lauriergracht, 1895 2 Prinsengracht housed the taproom right), 1894-1898 Breitner lived near here from 1893 and liquor store traditionally known as On the left, the rear of the houses along through to 1899, on 8 Lauriergracht. De Blauwe Druif, ‘The Blue Grape’. the Zeedijk.

3. Haarlemmerstraat, with on the left the entrance to the Binnen Wieringerstraat, 1906-1907

71 Showcase 5: Bernard F. Eilers

1. Audience at an equestrian event on the Museumplein square, 1914

81 2

3 4

2. Stromarkt, 1915-1921 3. Oudekerksplein square, 1907-1911 4. Leidseplein square, October The dome of the Ronde Lutherse Kerk On the left, 9 Oudekerksplein. Facing 1907-April 1908 or ‘Round Lutheran Church’ takes centre the rear of the houses along the War- In front of the public garden at the stage; the Singel runs along the right. moesstraat. American Hotel, a coachman stands next to his horse. In the background, the Stadhouderskade.

91 Showcase 6: Photography studio Merkelbach

1. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (Mata Hari) (1876-1917), 1915 Mata Hari visited Amsterdam in 1915 to perform her famed Indian Dances at the Stadsschouwburg or Municipal Theatre. She was sentenced to death for espionage in France in 1917.

02 Showcase 6: Photography studio Merkelbach

2 3

4 5 6

2. Alice Schwarz (1908-1996), 1927 5. Antoine Gerard Theodore (Toon) Alice Schwarz was the mother of famous Hermans (1916-2000), 1947 Dutch author Harry Mulisch. Toon Hermans was already very popular in the province of Limburg back in 1947, 3. Maria Tine (Rita) Nauta (1913- but did not make his big national break 2014), 1931 as a cabaret artist until 1958. The young dancer Rita Nauta poses as she dances the title role of Stravinsky’s 6. Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962), ballet ‘The Firebird’. 1948 In 1948, Photography studio Merkel- 4. Maarten Krabbé (1908-2005), 1933 bach took a number of photographs in- Maarten Krabbé was a painter and art tended for the queen’s official portrait. educator. He was the father of actor and In the end, this one was not regarded painter Jeroen Krabbé and author Tim appropriate and another photograph Krabbé. was selected.

12 22 Movie Theatre Situated on Level -1 is the cosy Movie Theatre. Every day a continuous programme of documentaries and films about Amsterdam is shown. Sunday afternoons see regularly a special film screening.

32 Bernard F. Eilers, Oudekerksplein square, 1907-1911 (Showcase 5) Bernard F. Eilers (1878-1951) searched in his photographs for the very essence of Amsterdam; in his own words ‘the soul of the city’. He care- fully chose the right moments of atmosphere, and had a good look at painters like Breitner.

42 Photostudio Merkelbach, Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962), 1948 (Showcase 6) Photostudio Merkelbach (1913-1969) was located on the top floor of the Hisch building on the Leidseplein. Here artists and more well-to-do Amsterdammers were portrayed. The preserved part of the archive contains tens of thousands of glass plates, half a century of faces, family groups and wedding portraits.

52 Showcase 7: Frits J. Rotgans

1. A platoon of German soldiers on the Sarphatistraat, preceded by mounted police and a military band, 1942-43 Photo taken in the photographer’s home, 16 Sarphatistraat. On the left, the Hogesluis bridge across the Amstel river.

62 2

3 4

2. The Amstel quay on the corner of 3. Café ‘t Hoekje (the ‘Corner Café’), 4. Advertising sign on the the Nieuwe Kerkstraat, 1942-1943 21 Amstelveld, 1942-1943 Amstelveld, April 1943 At the entrance to the Nieuwe Kerk- In front of the window is a sign stating Bearing German war propaganda straat is a sign announcing it as a ‘Forbidden for Jews’. From 15 Sep- and announcements for concerts, the ‘Judenstrasse/Joodschestraat’, meaning tember 1941 onwards, Jews were not Hallensportfeest (a Hitler Youth sport- ‘Jewish Street’. The German authori- permitted to visit public places such as ing event) on 18 April 1943, and the ties closed down part of Amsterdam’s cafés, restaurants, and theatres. so-called ‘Bad Taste and Healthy Art’ Jewish quarter in February 1941; after- (meaning non-modern, Arian art) exhi- wards, the signs remained. bition that was opened to the public on 10 April 1943.

72 Showcase 8: Wim van der Linden

1. Vegetable stall at the Albert Cuyp Market, autumn 1961

82 2 3

4 5

2. Playground on the Eerste Jan 5. People on the Nieuwmarkt when Steenstraat, 1960-1962 the travelling carnival came to town, April-May 1963 3. Tram stop along the Ceintuurbaan Billiards café ‘Populair’ by H. Kroonen at the crossing with the Ferdinand was located on 9 Nieuwmarkt. Bolstraat, 1960-1962 6. On the ferry crossing the IJ, 4. Mother and child on the Kleine heading from Amsterdam Central Kattenburgerstraat, 1960-1962 Station to the northern part of In the background, the Kattenburger- Amsterdam, 1960-1962 plein square.

92 Showcase 9: Department of Public Works

1. Sloterplas lake, May 1968 As seen from the Cornelis Lelylaan, facing the apartment buildings along Ruimzicht and Vrijzicht.

03 2 3

4 5

2. Antony Moddermanstraat, May 4. Playground on the Nico 6. Slotermeerlaan at the 1964 Snijdersstraat, around 1957 Burgemeester De Vlugtlaan, 9 Facing the apartment building on the In the background, the houses along March 1959 Willem Molengraaffstraat and the ‘De the Haspelstraat. On the left, the Leo A crosswalk supervisor guides a group 1200 Roe’ mill on the Haarlemmerweg. Frijdahof residential courtyard and the of children across the road. Burgemeester Fockstraat. 3. Children playing in the sandbox, Jan de Louterstraat, 1 August 5. Stores along the Osdorper Ban, 1957 May 1968 On the left, the houses along the Paul Scholtenstraat.

13 Frits J. Rotgans, 2. The Amstel quay on the corner of the Nieuwe Kerkstraat, 1942-1943 (Showcase 7) Frits J. Rotgans (1912-1978) made a small number of colour images in Amsterdam during the Second World War, a period that is mainly captured in black-and-white images. Rotgans began in the 1930s as an amateur photographer and photographed the rebuilding of the Netherlands after the war.

23 Wim van der Linden, Tram stop along the Ceintuurbaan, 1960-1962 (Showcase 7) Wim van der Linden (1941-2001) made special, almost casual photographs in the years 1961-1964. Amsterdam had just recovered from the Second World War and stood at the beginning of the welfare state. From 1967 Van der Linden was programme maker for VPRO television.

Department of Public Works, A crosswalk supervisor guides a group of children, Slotermeerlaan at the Burgemeester De Vlugtlaan, 9 March 1959 (Showcase 9) The Department of Public Works photographed municipal works in the city and the result of urban development plans, such as the straightforward life in the modern districts of Nieuw-West in the 1950-1960s.

33 Showcase 10: Cor Jaring

1. Robert Jasper Grootveld during one of his so-called ‘happenings’ at the Lieverdje (literally: ‘Little Darling’) statue, 18 September 1965 Hospital Little Lexington is what Bart Huges’ house on 158 Lange Leidsedwarsstraat was called. There, he provided shelter for runaway youths and the first drug addicts.

43 2 3

4 5

2. Young people participating in the 4. Prinsengracht at the height of the 5. Love-In at the Vondelpark, three-day A.B.C. peace march from offices of publisher Polak & anV September 1967 Rotterdam to Amsterdam, March Gennep, 19 March 1966 1967 White bike over the crowds at the public unveiling of a photography 3. Butterfly Opera by the Insect Sect, exhibition on the police violence on 10 1969 March 1966, Princess Beatrix and Claus The Butterfly Opera was intended to von Amsberg’s wedding day. Provo (an warn people against environmental anarchist, progressively minded move- pollution. The Insect Sect was a group ment in the 60’s) launched in 1965 its of friends consisting of Robert Jasper so-called ‘White Bike Plan’ (one of the Grootveld, Theo Kley, Max Reneman, group’s many ‘White Plans’). The notion Hub Mathijsen and Cor Jaring. of a white bike soon became synony- mous with Provo.

53 Showcase 11: City Archive photographers

1. Pupils of primary school De Polsstok in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, 1991, photo by Martin Alberts

63 2 3 4

5 6

2. Nicolaas Maesschool, 5 October 4. Children talking to an artist during 6. Children on the Ambonplein 1995, photo by Doriann Kransberg theatre festival De Parade at the square, 20 April 1994, photo by Lunch break for group 3A of this ele- Martin Luther Kingpark, 8 August Martin Alberts mentary school 2006, photo by Martin Alberts 7. Woman with three children in a 3. Football-loving dad with his two 5. Children on the corner of the freight bike, 13 August 2008, young sons at the Amsterdam Chasséstraat and the Van photo by Martin Alberts ArenA during the Ajax Open Kinsbergenstraat, January 1988, On the Willemsstraat, at the height of Day on 8 August 2007, photo by photo by Ino Roël number 143. Doriann Kransberg

73 Showcase 12: IJbeeld Foundation

1. The construction of the tunnel and new quay behind Amsterdam Central Station, October 2005, photo by Doriann Kransberg

83 2 3

4 5

2. IJburg under construction, 16 May 4. Ships along the Oostelijke moved four times. It had to close down 2000, photo by Freerk de Vos Handelskade, 10 January 2000, in September 2018 and is still awaiting a Facing the city, with the Diemerzeedijk photo by Freerk de Vos new location. dike on the left. The old warehouses have been torn down. In the background, Pakhuis De 6. Customs warehouse on the 3. The first houses built on Zwijger, a former warehouse nowadays Westerdokseiland, occupied by Haveneiland-West, one of the turned into a cultural venue. squatters, 16 March 2001, photo islands that make up the IJburg by Freerk de Vos neighbourhood, 15 March 2003, 5. City beach ‘Blijburg’ on the In the background, the spires of Roman photo by Freerk de Vos IJburgbaai, 2003, photo by Freerk Catholic church De Posthoorn. On the From left to right: houses on the IJbur- de Vos right, ships along the Westerdok. Now- glaan, the Zwanebloemlaan and the The first ever location of the Blijburg adays, this area is filled with large-scale Mattenbiesstraat. In the bottom left, the beach; due to continued construction newly constructed apartment buildings. Vennepluimstraat. in the area, Blijburg beach has been

93 Cor Jaring, A white bike above the crowds as symbol of Provo on Prinsengracht at the height of the offices of publisher Polak & VanGennep, 19 March 1966 (Showcase 10) Cor Jaring (1936-2013) was the photographer of the turbulent and alternative Amsterdam of the 1960s and 1970s: the provo’s, hippies and free-spirited artists.

04 Freerk de Vos, IJburg under construction, 16 May 2000 (Showcase 12) Stichting IJbeeld (1987-2016) was established to record the radical changes along the banks of the IJ in photographs and films, such as the transformation of the old Amsterdam harbour district into a residential area and the construction of the IJburg quarter in the Buiten IJ.

Ino Roël, Children on the corner of the Chas- séstraat, January 1988 (Showcase 11) Archive photographers were employed by the City Archives until the beginning of the 21st century to document the city and capture buildings prior to demolition or reallocation. Their work counts many tens of thousands of photographs and is one of the most important image collections in the archive.

14 24 The city’s history in twelve striking stories

Showcases

1 The origins of Amsterdam 6 Foundlings in a waning city 2 Praying and fighting in the 7 Amsterdam Zoo ‘Natura Artis Middle Ages Magistra’ 3 The turbulent sixteenth 8 1883 World Fair century 9 The Second World War 4 An immigrant city in the Dutch 10 Provo’s, hippies and squatters Golden Age 11 I Amsterdam 5 Amsterdam and slavery 12 Moving outside

34 Showcase 1: The origins of Amsterdam

At the start of the 13th century, a small settlement began to form along the left bank of the Amstel river, at the height of the current Nieuwendijk. This oldest precursor of the current city of Amsterdam was not an agrarian settlement; instead, the community consisted of tradesmen such as a smith and a weaver. After 1250, houses started appearing on the east bank of the river as well. The Dam in the Amstel river was raised between 1264 and 1275. In 1275, a toll privilege was issued by Floris V, Count of Holland, for the people of this community. Floris V was most likely also the one who commissioned the fortification that was built on the Nieuwezijds Kolk in the 1280’s. Amsterdam quickly increased in prominence over time, and was granted its city charter in 1300-1301. At the time, the community already consisted of around 1,000 inhabitants.

1. Reconstruction of Amsterdam around 1290, drawing by Monuments and Archaeology Amsterdam At the end of the 13th century, both sides of the Amstel river featured a narrow strip of habitation. Houses dating back to these times have been found on the Nieuwendijk and the Warmoesstraat. The current Oude Kerk or ‘Old Church’ is built on a raised piece of land (marked in yellow on the map) that was most likely the site of a chapel with a graveyard back in the 13th century.

2. Houses along the Nieuwendijk and the fortification at Nieuwezijds Kolk in around 1290, drawing by Monuments and Archaeology Amsterdam The houses in this part of 13th-century Amsterdam were built close together. The strip of houses most likely stretched out towards the south, down to the modern-day Spui. A stone fortification had been built at the mouth of the Boerenwetering into the Amstel river.

44 3 4

6 7

8 9 10 11 12

3. The western wall of the 5. Toll Privilege granted by Floris V, 9. Horseshoe, found on the fortification on Nieuwezijds Kolk, Count of Holland, 1275, photo Nieuwendijk, 1225-1275 1994, photo On 27 October 1275, Floris V granted The Nieuwendijk used to be the site of A sensational discovery was made in ‘the people living along the dam in the a smithy that produced a wide range of 1994: reinforced walls dating back to Amstel river’ an exemption from having objects, such as nails, keys and locks, the 13th century. This fortification was to pay a toll in the county of Holland. weapons, carving forks and horseshoes. built in the 1280’s, most likely by order This is the earliest known mention of of Floris V, Count of Holland. However, Amsterdam, as well as being the oldest 10. Jug, found on the Nieuwendijk, it did not last for long and had already record in the whole of the Amsterdam 1225-1275 disappeared by 1333. City Archives. 11. Jug, found on the Dam, 1225-1275 4. Exterior wall of a house made of 6. Wooden shoe, found on the This type of oven-fired, watertight willow shoots woven together, Nieuwendijk, 1225-1300 ceramics (so-called proto stoneware) was found in a dig on the Nieuwendijk, made in the German Rhineland area. 1979, photo 7. Leather shoe, found on the The oldest houses to ever be built in Nieuwendijk, 1225-1300 12. Globular pot, found on the Amsterdam were small buildings made Warmoesstraat, 1250-1300 of wood and woven willow shoots, with 8. Carving fork, found on the These round pots were made in clay floors and open fire pits. Nieuwendijk, 1225-1275 Amsterdam and the surrounding area and were used for cooking.

54 Leather shoe, found on the Nieuwendijk, 1225-1300 (Showcase 1) Along the former shore of the river Amstel archeologists unearthed the houses and workplaces of the people that first settled on the spot that would become the heart of the city. Excavations yielded a wealth of objects, like this shoe, a silent witness of everyday life in 13th-century Amsterdam.

64 Bollock dagger, 1450-1500 (Showcase 2) This type of dagger is named after the form of the hilt. It was found by archeologists in the old river bed of the Amstel during construction works of the Amsterdam North-South metro line.

Toll Privilege granted by Floris V, Count of Holland, 1275 (Showcase 1) In center of the second line one reads the word ‘Amestelledamme’. It is the oldest known mention of Amsterdam. This privilege granted the Amsterdam merchants exemption of toll in the county of Holland, and marks the start of a successful trading port that would become a major world trading center in the Dutch Golden Age. The document was certified by the seal of the Count of Holland. It was written in medieval Latin on parchment, made from a goat’s skin.

74 Showcase 2: Praying and fighting in the Middle Ages

Every year on the first Sunday night after March 15th, a silent procession of Catholics winds through the Amsterdam city centre, in remembrance of the Miracle of Amsterdam in 1345, when the consecrated Host appeared from the fire in the hearth unscathed. In the Middle Ages, this Miracle Procession was not just a sign of devotion. The city’s guilds, civic guard, students, past and present mayors – each of them had their own designated spot in the procession.

Despite the idealised notion of order and piety that the procession suggests, conflict was always lurking just around the corner in the medieval city of Amsterdam. For example, the rivalry between the ’Old’ (eastern) and ‘New’(western) part of the city would lead to brawls every year. The city’s magistrates not only punished those people who got into fights, but also imposed a maximum length for knives as a precaution.

1. The Silent Procession on the Warmoesstraat, 1996, 2. Interior of the Nieuwezijds Kapel chapel, around photo by Jan Bogaerts 1908, photo, reproduction The old medieval route was once again adopted back in After the Alteration in 1578, the Kapel ter Heilige Stede 1881. As Catholic processions were forbidden, it took the or ‘Holy Site’ chapel passed into Protestant hands and was form of a ‘silent procession’, which took place at night and renamed the Nieuwezijds Kapel. The chapel was torn down featured no ostentatious displays of grandeur. In 2016, in 1908. around 5,000 people participated in the procession.

84 Showcase 2: Praying and fighting in the Middle Ages 5

4 6

7 ©Archief.Amsterdam A06903000284 ©Archief.Amsterdam

8 9

3. The Miracle of Amsterdam, 5. Bollock dagger, 1450-1550 8. Conviction of skipper Elbert 16th-century woodcut based on This type of dagger is longer than Bouwenszoon for brawling, 14 the original print from 1518 most ordinary knives, and named after August 1548, Mayors’ Archives This print depicts the miracle of 1345. A the distinct ball-shaped protrusions The traditional brawl between dying man was having his last rites read on either side of the guard. It was youngsters from the Old and New side to him in a house in the Kalverstraat. He found during the archaeological survey of town took place on the Nieuwe Brug was presented with the Host but threw performed at the Damrak when the (New Bridge) every year, on St Jacob’s it back up; it (pictured in the middle on North-South line of the Amsterdam Day (July 25th). They would throw the left) was then thrown into the fire, metro was being constructed. stones, and people would invariably end but remained unscathed. The Kapel ter up hurt. Brouwerszoon was sentenced Heilige Stede or ‘Holy Site’ chapel, also 6. Two knives, one with a matching to eleven weeks of imprisonment on known as the Nieuwezijds Kapel, was wooden scabbard shaped like a a diet of ‘bier ende broede’, beer and built where this man’s house used to fish, 1450-1550 bread. stand. These knives were found during the archaeological survey performed at 9. Law regarding stabbing weapons, 4. Page from a late medieval missal, the Damrak when the North-South line 1413, Archives of the Mayors Burgher Orphanage’s Archives of the Amsterdam metro was being Among the oldest laws in this book is This vellum page was part of a missal constructed. the ban on pulling knives, daggers and book, possibly at the city’s St Lucian other small stabbing weapons, under monastery. In the late 16th-century, 7. Pilgrim insignias depicting the penalty of a fine of five pounds. Actual it was reused as a cover for a book Miracle of Amsterdam, 1475-1525 stabbing was punished with the same containing the Burgher Orphanage’s The miraculous Host is featured in the amount. For the same offence at night records. centre. In the Middle Ages, thousands or in homes the fine was doubled. of pilgrims would visit Amsterdam each year and bring one of these insignias home with them as proof of their pilgrimage.

94 Showcase 3: The turbulent sixteenth century

After 1520, Europe was scourged by reformers who aimed to reshape the Catholic Church. In the night of 11 February 1535, a group of Amsterdam residents ran through the city streets naked. They were the Anabaptists, who had broken away from the Catholic Church entirely, convinced that the Last Judgment was nigh. Several months later, a group of Anabaptists successfully occupied the city hall. However, they were soon overpowered and sentenced to death. Emperor Charles V was shocked by the events and made sure that all seats in the city magistrate would be held by devout Catholics from then on.

When the Dutch Revolt took off in 1568, the city of Amsterdam initially stayed loyal to the Spanish authorities; it finally joined the revolt ten years later. At that point, the Catholic magistrates were forced to step down and were banished from the city.

2. Anabaptists in Amsterdam, 1535, and civic guard during a battle on Dam engraving, 17th century Square. The Watergeuzen, who rebelled On 11 February 1535, just after three against the Spanish authorities, had o’clock in the morning, seven men and been attacking the area surrounding five women ran through the city streets the city frequently as of 1572. In 1578, naked, calling out ‘woe, woe, woe, Amsterdam had become fully isolated Heavenly Father, revenge, revenge, and finally joined the Dutch Revolt. revenge!’. 4. De Nieuwe Kerk, 1612, etching by 3. Attack of the Watergeuzen Claes Jansz Visscher (literally: ‘Sea Beggars’) on The Nieuwe Kerk and Oude Kerk (‘New 1. Map of Amsterdam in 1544, the Haarlemmerpoort gate, Church’ and ‘Old Church’, respectively) published between 1572-1618 by 1577, etching and engraving were the city’s most important churches Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg, F. Hogenberg and G. von Campen in medieval times. etching and engraving On 23 November 1577, a group of around 450 Watergeuzen (William of Orange’s sailor rebels) entered the city via the Haarlemmerpoort. They were defeated by the city’s soldiers

05 Showcase 3: The turbulent sixteenth century

2 3

4 6 7 ©Archief.Amsterdam A00674000004 ©Archief.Amsterdam

8 9

5. The bodies of the Anabaptists 7. The catholic magistrates’ Many reformers strived for simplicity are taken to the gallows field on banishment from the city, 1578, and were affronted by the Catholic the Volewijk, 1535, etching and etching by Jan Luijken, around Church’s wealth. engraving 1665 1680-1693 The gallows field was located on the On 26 May 1578, the catholic 9. Magistrates’ book containing a other side of the IJ bay, directly across magistrates and clergymen were report of the Anabaptist riot, from the city. It made for a fearsome banished from the city. They were 1523-1578 sight to behold for anyone approaching escorted from the Dam Square to a Between 1534 and 1526, Joost Buyck, the city via the IJ bay. barge and taken out onto the IJ bay. a schepen (a type of alderman) of the city of Amsterdam, wrote an 6. Anabaptists’ execution on the 8. Inventory of silver religious items eyewitness account of the rise and fall Dam Square, 1535, etching and in the Nieuwe Kerk, 1570, Mayors’ of the Anabaptists. On these pages, he engraving, 17th century Archives describes how they occupied the city The Anabaptists who occupied the city The page on the right bears a list of hall on the night of 10 May 1535; armed hall were executed on a scaffold on the silver statues, monstrances, dishes and with swords and both short and long Dam Square. Their hearts were cut from thuribles and their weights, such as a halberds, they took Dam square and the their chests while they were alive, and statue of the Mother Mary weighing city hall by force, murdering some of thrown in their faces (‘in hun aangezicht 19 pounds (‘It(em) Tmarien beelt wecht the guards. geworpen’). xix pont’).

15 Anabaptists in Amsterdam, 1535 (Showcase 3) Believing the Last Judgement was near, naked Anabaptist roamed the streets at night. They were swiftly arrested and convicted by the disturbed authorities. In hindsight, their actions marked the turn form the Middle Ages to a new era. This image was printed in the 17th century, when Amsterdam townsfolk started to look back at their own history.

25 Rembrandt van Rijn, 18th century drawing based on a self-portrait dated 1639 (Showcase 4) Being at the heart of the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam was the place to be for the young Rembrandt. Here he found his most important clients and developed into one of the most famous painters and printmakers of all times. The Amsterdam City Archives keeps many documents about his life, such as his marriage registration and the baptism of his children. Rembrandt and Amsterdam, they belong together.

35 Showcase 4: An immigrant city in the Dutch Golden Age

Rembrandt van Rijn from Leiden, Joost van den Vondel from Germany, and Elsje Christiaans from Denmark; in the 17th century, all three of them ended up in Amsterdam. And they were far from the only ones! Throughout the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam grew to become one of the most important cities in the world. Trade and shipping brought unprecedented wealth, and as a result, science and art flourished.

The city’s success drew in many people from abroad. In the year 1600, one in every three Amsterdam residents was an immigrant. The population tripled, and thus, the city soon became to small to accommodate everyone. This was the reason for starting the construction of Amsterdam’s famous ring of canals.

This was the most important square in

IJSLAND 1 ICELAND the city, and it was always crowded with servants, pedlars, vendors, wealthily FINLAND 1 attired citizens and merchants from all Waar kwamen de Amsterdammers NOORWEGEN 147 die in 1663 trouwden vandaan? NORWAY around the globe, such as the party of Birthplaces of Amsterdammers who were married in 1663 ZWEDEN 72 merchants from Eastern Europe on the SWEDEN

= 1 left. SCHOTLAND 14 SCOTLAND > 2 BALTISCHE STATEN 6 DENEMARKEN 72 BALTIC STATES > 100 DENMARK

> 200

> 300 NOORD-DUITSLAND 403 3. Map of Amsterdam depicting the NORTH GERMANY POLEN 13 IERLAND 14 POLAND > 400 IRELAND NEDERLAND 1407 NETHERLANDS OOST-DUITSLAND 18 EAST GERMANY city’s fourth expansion, 1663, > 500

Amsterdam 2196 ENGELAND 25 > 2000 ENGLAND WEST-DUITSLAND 426 WEST GERMANY engraving BELGIË 161 BELGIUM During the 17th century, the population NEW AMSTERDAM 1

ARMENIË 1 OOSTENRIJK 4 ARMENIA of Amsterdam grew from around 60,000 FRANKRIJK 83 AUSTRIA FRANCE ZWITSERLAND 1 SWITZERLAND inhabitants in 1600 to 200,000 in 1670.

BRAZILIË 8 ANGOLA 1 BRASIL MAURITIUS 1 The city clearly needed to expand.

ITALIË 5 ITALY 4. Jewish marriage contract between

SPANJE 2 SPAIN Ishac Israel Frois and Rachel, PORTUGAL 3

daughter of Jeudah Touro, 25 June 1664, Portuguese-Israelite Community’s Archives In the 17th century, Amsterdam was 1. Birthplaces of people who were 2. Dam Square in 1698, drawing home to a large Jewish community. married in Amsterdam in 1663 by an unkown artist, around From everywhere people were 1700-1730, based on a painting 5. Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), attracted to the thriving and tolerant by Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde late 17th century, drawing by Johan merchant city with trade contacts dated 1698 Faber stretching across the globe. In the centre the new city hall Vondel was seven years old when he building (the current Royal Palace of and his parents moved from Cologne to Amsterdam). The building seen at the Amsterdam, where he became a famous left, with the Amsterdam coat of arms, poet and wrote his well-known tragedy is the city’s Waag or ‘weighing house’, Gijsbrecht van Aemstel. which was torn down in 1806.

45 Showcase 4: An immigrant city in the Dutch Golden Age

2 3

5 6 7

©Archief.Amsterdam KLAC02450000015 4 ©Archief.Amsterdam A21118000085 ©Archief.Amsterdam ©Archief.Amsterdam OTR00059000125 ©Archief.Amsterdam

8 9

6. Rembrandt van Rijn, 18th century 8. Registry recording couples’ 9. Confession book containing the drawing based on a self-portrait intention to marry, May 1663, Civil statements of detained suspects, dated 1639 Registry Archives 1664, Archives of the Mayor and Rembrandt was 25 years old when he In the middle of the left page, you will Aldermen moved from Leiden to Amsterdam. see an entry regarding Joris Antonisse The page on the right details the Here, he developed into a famous artist. from Brazil, ‘swart’ (‘black’) and Lijsbet start of the interrogation of ‘Elsje Joosten, from Angola. These notices Christiaanse van Sprouwen in Jutlant 7. The Gouden Bocht or ‘Golden Bend’ of marriages are an important source [Denmark], oudt 18 jaren’ (‘18 years in the Herengracht, as seen from the on the origins of Amsterdam’s new old’). In May 1664, she was sentenced Koningsplein square in the direction residents, who sometimes came from for murdering her landlady, whom she of the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, very far abroad indeed. had hit in the head with an axe during 1694-1697, etching and colour print an argument. Elsje was sentenced to by Jan van Call death by garrotte. She had moved to This was the most prestigious section Amsterdam just two weeks earlier, to of the Herengracht, where the richest earn some money. people in Amsterdam society had homes built for them in the 17th century.

55 Showcase 5: Amsterdam and slavery

Mayor Harman Hendrik van de Poll was one of the Amsterdam citizens to invest in slave ship De Watervliet in 1743. The ship first sailed to the west coast of Africa, where it took on 462 enslaved men, women and children. By the time they arrived in Suriname, a Dutch colony on the north eastern coast of South America, 62 had died due to disease, lack of food, or maltreatment. For the others, the hardest part was yet to come: life on the plantation. The ship would then travel back to Amsterdam filled with coffee and raw sugar, produced with slave labour.

This journey by De Watervliet was one of at least 323 slave transports that were completed by Amsterdam-based ships throughout the 17th and 18th century. Over 115,000 slaves were transported from Africa to the plantations in the colonies; over 18,000 of them did not survive the journey.

2. Prince William V of Orange takes his 4. List of slave ships that set out seat as commander in chief of the from Amsterdam between 1741 New West India Company, 1768, and 1745, Bicker Family Archives drawing by Simon Fokke, dated A member of the Amsterdam-based 1771 Bicker family took note of which ships The New West India Company’s head- had left for Africa and the West Indies quarters was located at the Voetboog- from Amsterdam and then come back, doelen (the former crossbowmen’s including skippers, levies paid, and shooting range) on number of slaves that made it across 425 Singel. The NWIC was the successor the Atlantic alive. De Watervliet is of the earlier Dutch West India Company, mentioned twice, in 1741 and 1743. which went bankrupt in 1674. 5. Ships on the IJ, 1772, drawing by 3. The Hegt en Sterk plantation in Hendrik Kobell Suriname, around 1750, drawing As seen from across the IJ bay, facing This coffee plantation was located Amsterdam. For many centuries, along the Commewijne river in bearing goods from all over the world 1. Portrait of mayor Harman Hendrik Suriname. At the centre is the would put in at this harbour. van de Poll, 1748, engraving by plantation owner’s grand home. On the Jacob Houbraken left are the so-called ‘neegerhuisen’ or The report of De Watervliet’s second ‘negro houses’, the slaves’ quarters. journey lists that Van de Poll owned a one sixteenth share in this venture.

65 2 3

4 5 6 7 ©Archief.Amsterdam AGRA00031000040 ©Archief.Amsterdam ©Archief.Amsterdam KLAB02542000040 ©Archief.Amsterdam

8 9

6. Allegorical print on the Society 8. Report of slave ship De Watervliet’s 10. A collecting pot for molasses and a of Suriname, 1720, etching and second journey, 1743, Archives of sugar mould, used in Amsterdam’s engraving by Bernard Picart the Mayor and Aldermen sugar manufacturing industry, found The Society of Suriname was a private The stakeholders for De Watervliet’s during archaeological survey, dating enterprise aimed at generating profit second journey include the members of back to the 17th or 18th century through the colony’s management. The many prominent Amsterdam families, The city’s sugar refineries turned the coats of arms in the print refer to the such as Van de Poll, Witsen and Bicker. raw sugar that was shipped from the Society’s three owners: the WIC, the This report is a so-called ‘general plantations into molasses and regular Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck family, average’, which was drawn up because sugar. This is how products that had and the city of Amsterdam. the ship had suffered damage along the been grown by virtue of slave labour way. All parties in the venture had to ended up on the kitchen tables of many 7. List of words that were used on share any such losses. Amsterdam homes. the plantations with their Dutch translations alongside, around 9. Statement for notary Salomon 1771, Huis Marquette Archives Dorper about the maltreatment of The creole language that arose on slaves, 1765, Notarial Archives the plantations, called Sranan, is now Crewmembers of the ship ‘De one of Suriname’s official languages. Juffrouwen Anna en Maria’ declared Modern-day Amsterdam slang still that the captain and the first mate had features words that originated on the treated the slaves in ‘an inhumane plantations, such as ‘faya’ (‘hot’) of ‘lobi’ manner, beating them and kicking them (‘love’). as though they were not humans but beasts’.

75 85 Statement for notary Salomon Dorper about the maltreatment of slaves, 1765, Notarial Archives (Showcase 5) This impressive book contains some of the black pages of Amsterdam’s history: the involvement in the slave trade. In curly eighteenth-century writing, the shocking testimony of the mistreatment of slaves during transport across the Atlantic is noted. Such rare documents are preserved in the extensive archives of the Amsterdam notaries.

Report of slave ship De Watervliet’s second journey, 1743, Archives of the Mayor and Aldermen (Showcase 5) The damage during the second voyage of the slave ship De Watervliet was paid for by the group of Amsterdam merchants who had invested in this ship. Thanks to this document we know the names of all the investors and it becomes clear that the cost of equipping the ship was 95,000 guilders; an indication of the profits of the slave trade.

A collecting pot for molasses and a sugar mould, used in Amsterdam’s sugar manufacturing industry, found during archaeological survey, dating back to the 17th or 18th century (Showcase 5) Raw sugar was put into the mould and the slow dripping of water onto the raw mass resulted in two products: syrup in the collecting pot and a refined sugar cone in the mould. The floors of the sugar factories were filled with dozens of these ceramic installations.

95 Showcase 6: Foundlings in a waning city

‘Figs in the mouth will still this child’s cries’, read the note attached to an eight-month-old girl. Her parents – and many others like them – had been driven by poverty to leave their daughter at the orphanage.

By the end of the 18th century, Amsterdam’s prosperity had waned. During the rule of the French between 1795 and 1813, trade came to a virtual standstill. The city of Amsterdam grew pourer and slowly began to fall apart; buildings collapsed and the entrance to the IJ bay became blocked by sludge. Due to illnesses and malnourishment, pour children had little chance of surviving. Around the year 1800, two to three children were left in the street every single day. These foundlings would end up at the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis, the poor’s orphanage.

2. The ‘Fig Dam’, part of Dam 4. The departure of the steamship to Square, seen towards the Royal Zaandam, ca. 1825-1832, coloured Palace, 1847, drawing by Pierre engraving Gebr. Lourier Tetar van Elven On 13 July 1826, the first steamboat left In 1847 a row of houses was demol- from the Nieuwe Stadsherberg (New ished to enlarge the square. Everything City Inn) on the IJ for the connection on this drawing breathes past glory, as Amsterdam-Zaandam. At this time if decay reached right into the heart of steam engines were still an attraction in the city. the city.

3. The Goudsbloemgracht canal, 5. The entrance to the Leidsestraat 1857, drawing by Petrus Josephus with its collapsed houses, as 1. Aalmoezeniersweeshuis, 1693, Lutgers seen from the Leidseplein, 1806, etching As seen from the Lijnbaansgracht etching end engraving The Aalmoezeniersweeshuis (the poor’s facing the Brouwersgracht. The heavily On 22 February 1806, the houses orphanage) on 436 Prinsengracht canal polluted Goudsbloemgracht was filled on the corner of the Leidseplein and was opened on 1 January 1666. It had in back in 1854 and then renamed the Leidsestraat spontaneously collapsed. room for 800 children when it was first Willemsstraat. The site remained vacant for many opened; by 1807, it was home to 2,554 years after that. orphans and foundlings.

06 Showcase 6: Foundlings in a waning city

8 9

6. The collapsed Oost-Indisch 8. Registry of children taken in 9. Registry of children taken in Zeemagazijn or ‘East India Sea by the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis by the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis Warehouse’ at Oostenburg, 1822, or poors’s orphanage, 1808, or poor’s orphanage, 1800, drawing by Gerrit Lamberts Aalmoezeniersweeshuis’ Archives Aalmoezeniersweeshuis’ Archives On April 13th, part of the former On Friday 21 October 1808, six- On 3 January 1800, Eliza Jacobs was Dutch East India Company’s warehouse month-old Johanna Maria Tirset was found on the Prinsengracht canal when collapsed with a thunderous roar. The found outside the orphanage’s girls’ he was just one day old. A playing card Dutch East India Company had been gate. The note that she was left with cut in half had been left with him. His dissolved in 1799 in a virtually bankrupt read as follows: ‘In the worst possible parents had kept the other half, so that state. circumstances, having come up short if they ever wished to retrieve their and ended up in need, fearing the child, they would be able to prove that 7. Registry of children taken in coming winter, I am no longer able to he was theirs. Eliza was never retrieved; by the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis care for this child and have been forced he died ten days later, on 13 January or poor’s orphanage, 1806, out of dire necessity to give her up to 1800. Aalmoezeniersweehuis’ Archives the orphanage. God bless and keep the On January 1806, eight-month-old one that does his good work.’ 10. China bowl, 18th century Cecelia Kroon was found behind the This broken bowl is held together by orphanage with a note reading ‘figs in small metal clips. It was found at an the mouth will still this child’s cries’. archaeological dig on the Koningsstraat in the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood.

16 26 Registry of children taken in by the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis or poor’s orphanage, 1800 This small book is a witness to the extreme poverty in Amsterdam around 1800. It contains the name of a foundling on each page, often together with the note that the parents had put in the child’s clothes. The note mentioned the name, the age and often also the religion. Eliza Jacobs was one day old when he was found on the Prinsengracht near the orphanage. He was given a playing card that had been cut in half. The parents kept the other half, hoping that one day they would be able to take him home again. But Eliza died ten days after he was found.

36 Showcase 7: Amsterdam Zoo ‘Natura Artis Magistra’

A few parrots, monkeys, and a forest cat from Suriname were the first inhabitants of the new zoo founded in 1838, ‘Natura Artis Magistra’. Artis first started out as a typical 19th-century society; only members of the bourgeoisie could become members, and even then, they first had to make it through a very strict balloting process. The zoo was not just a place for admiring exotic animals, but also for exchanging the latest gossip, discussing potential marriages, and maintaining business contacts. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the zoo became publically accessible. When Artis ended up in dire financial straits in 1970, it proved loved among many; the ‘Artis must stay’ campaign collected enough money to save the zoo from going under.

1. ‘Artis must stay’, 1970 In 1970, Artis was at the brink of bankruptcy. The ‘Artis must stay’ campaign represented the city’s and entire country’s effort to preserve the zoo.

2. The main avenue in Artis, 1838-1856, lithography by Elias Spanier based on drawing by H.W. Last The main avenue as seen upon entering the zoo, also known as the Papegaaienlaan or ‘Parrot Lane’.

46 2 3 4

5 6

3. Stuffed quagga at the Artis 6. Map of Artis, c. 1855, drawing 8. G.F. Westerman, the first director museum, 1896-1900, photo, Around 1855, the zoo’s grounds were of Artis, feeding Herman the Artis Archives, reproduction roughly one third of their current size. hippo, 1865, photo of a print This quagga died at Artis on 12 August The zoo was bisected by the Nieuwe Herman was the first ever hippo to be 1883. It was the last of its kind. Heavy Prinsengracht canal, which visitors would born in captivity and survive anywhere hunting caused this South-African cross using a small ferry. Later on, the in the world. cousin of the zebra to go extinct. canal was converted into three ponds.

4. The camel park, around 1875, 7. Members’ petition against letting lithography by Noach van der commoners visit the zoo, 11 June Waals 1855, Artis Archives After the Artis society’s management 5. Contribution to the action ‘Artis had decided to grant non-members must stay’, 1970, letter with access to the garden, in the month of drawing by Mieke Wijtema, Artis July only and against payment, 37 zoo Archives members signed this petition asking Children collected money and management to reverse its decision. submitted drawings in support of the 89 other members suggested limited campaign. opening to the public.

56 Showcase 8: 1883 World Fair

Over one million people from the Netherlands and from abroad visited Amsterdam in 1883 to attend the World Fair, the first ever International Colonial and Export Exhibition. On the ground behind the Rijksmuseum, the site of the modern-day Museumplein square, a huge exhibition took place for five months from May 1st onwards, featuring commodities and objects from the colonies. In the Surinamese tent and the Javanese kampong, visitors could even view ‘savages’, who had been specially shipped to Amsterdam for the occasion.

By the end of the 19th century, Amsterdam had recovered. The North Sea Canal, opened in 1876, connected the city to the North Sea, causing maritime trade and the manufacturing industries to blossom once more. The World Fair put Amsterdam back on the map; it represented the dawning of a second Golden Age.

1. Map of Amsterdam in 1883, lithography by A. Braakensiek, revised by A.J. van der Stok jr. With inserts depicting the Vondelpark and Artis in more detail. The bottom of the map shows the outlay of the World Fair.

2. Bird’s eye view of the exhibition grounds, 1883, wood engraving by E.A. Tilly, based on a drawing by J.C. Greive

3. Bird’s eye view of the North Sea Canal, as seen from IJmuiden facing Amsterdam, 1876, lithography by G.J. van der Stok, based on a drawing by J.A. Rust The North Sea Canal, opened in 1876, made the Amsterdam harbour easily accessible for modern ships, after many years of seclusion.

66 2

©Archief.Amsterdam KLAF00104000004 4 5 6 7 ©Archief.Amsterdam A29459000014 ©Archief.Amsterdam ©Archief.Amsterdam A29459000025 ©Archief.Amsterdam ©Archief.Amsterdam A29459000010 ©Archief.Amsterdam

4. Holidays in Holland. The 7. 13-year-old Johannes Kojo 9. A Ladies Card for the festive Amsterdam Exhibition and dead at the Surinamese tent, with opening of the International cities of the Zuyder Zee, 1883 visitors in the background, Colonial and Export Exhibition, The 1883 World Fair drew many visitors 1883, photogravure by G. Roche 1883 from abroad. based on photo by F. Hisgen, On 1 May 1883, the exhibition was reproduction opened with all due festivity, in the 5. Map of the World Fair’s grounds, This photo is part of the ‘Les habitants presence of King William III and Queen 1883, lithography de Suriname’ album dated 1884, which Emma. The ideal route took visitors below the depicted residents of the Surinamese Rijksmuseum, only half-finished at the village. time, and past the various departments, 10. Tickets for the International national pavilions and hospitality 8. Commercial for Maizena, 1883 Colonial and Export Exhibition, establishments. The World’s Fair was the perfect occa- 1883 sion for manufacturers to promote their 6. Posted advertising the products, such as Maizena (cornstarch), 11. Central gallery of the colonial ‘Surinamese tent’, 1883 a ‘nourishing luxury item’ from the department in the main building, During the World Fair, ‘various races of Glenn-Cove Company in New York. 1883, photo by Pieter Oosterhuis, people native to Suriname’ were put on reproduction display here, including ‘forest Negros and Creole types’.

76 Showcase 9: The Second World War

Tens of thousands of Amsterdam residents went on strike on February 25th and 26th, 1941. They were protesting the first big raid of Jews that the German police had completed on the Waterlooplein square several days earlier. During this raid, 427 Jewish men had been arrested and taken away. The strike was off to a successful start, but was broken two days later due to the German occupying forces’ crackdown.

In 1942 started the systematic deportation of Jews. Of the city’s 80,000 Jewish inhabitants in 1940, 68,000 were murdered. An intrinsic element of the city’s character was thus lost forever. The annual commemoration of the February strike remembers more than just the Second World War; it also serves as a reminder that respect and tolerance are just as crucial for modern-day Amsterdam.

1. Police telegram by acting chief of 5. Nieuwmarkt with barbed wire police K.H. Broekhoff, 25 February blockade, 1941, photo by Charles 1941 Breijer This telegram ordered a crackdown In the spring of 1941, the German on the spreading and pasting of authorities began closing off Amsterdam’s pamphlets. Suspects fleeing the scene Jewish neighbourhood – though a true had to be shot. Jewish ghetto was never formed.

2. Communication by mayor Willem 6. Houses on the Lepelstraat during de Vlugt, addressed to the demolition, 1945, photo by Nico strikers, 25 February 1941 Swaager On the first day of the strike, mayor These houses without facades, on 28- Willem de Vlugt called on the striking 30 Lepelstraat, had been robbed of all 1 municipal staff to go back to work, timber during the Hongerwinter (literally: under pain of penalties or dismissal. ‘hunger winter’, the Dutch famine of 1944-45). The Jewish inhabitants had 3. Rounding up of Jews in the been deported in 1942 and 1943. Uiterwaardenstraat near the Only one of these families survived the Gaaspstraat, 1943, photo by A. war. For decades after, there were many Wijnberg gaps left in the Weesperstraat and Water- A covert image, taken from the looplein neighbourhood. photographer’s home on 59-II Uiterwaardenstraat. 7. De Dokwerker (‘The Dockworker’), 1964, woodcut by Henk van der 4. Survey for tram staff regarding the Horst February strike, 1941 Viewed against the backdrop of the Tram drivers and conductors were Amsterdam city centre and the harbour. obliged to fill in this form. Those who To commemorate the February strike, the had participated in the strike were Dokwerker statue was unveiled on the given a fine or were dismissed. Jonas Daniël Meijerplein back in 1952.

4 5

9 11

8. Police Reports regarding suicides 9. Memorial album containing These were found in a house on 24-II and suicide attempts, Pieter photographs of Amsterdam during Semarangstraat, a former Jewish Aertszstraat police station, the Second World War, presented safe house, in 1960. From May 1942 14-15 May 1940, Municipal Police to the mayor of Amsterdam, 1945 onwards, Jews had to wear special Archives This photo by Cas Oorthuys shows one badges to mark them out as being After the German raid on May 10th, of the municipal cleaning department’s Jewish, as well as have the letter many dozens of Jews who no longer carts blocking the tram tracks on the ‘J’ stamped in their identification fostered any illusions about the Bilderdijkstraat. This is one of the few papers. On 11 November 1943, Reina intentions of the Nazi regime, took photographs depicting the February Schuitevoerder and Noach Rotstein control of their own destiny. Some were strike in action. were arrested on the Semarangstraat. saved by vigilant neighbours. Several A second copy of this album, containing They were then taken to Auschwitz, years later, the massive persecutions English captions, was presented to where they were murdered in 1944. of Jews that took place claimed most Canadian general T. Rutherford as a of their lives after all. Sisters Sara and token of gratitude from the people of 11. Anne Frank (middle) in the Judith Lelie, who attempted suicide on Amsterdam to its Canadian liberators. classroom of the 6th Montessori May 14th on 94-I Amsteldijk running School (now Anne Frank School), the gas tap (a commonly used method) 10. Identification papers belonging ca. 1934 were resuscitated on time. They to the Jewish Noach Rotstein In 1933-34 the Frank family fled Nazi eventually survived the war. (Lodz in Poland, 1911) and Reina Germany to Amsterdam. Anne Frank Schuitevoerder (Amsterdam, 1911) became famous for the diary she wrote and Jewish badges, Civil Registry during hiding in the Second World War. Archives Anne died in February 1945 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

96 07 Identification papers belonging to the Jewish Noach Rotstein (Lodz in Poland, 1911) and Reina Schuitevoerder (Amsterdam, 1911) and Jewish Badges, Civil Registry Archive (Showcase 9) The Second World War brought relentless persecution for the Jewish inhabitants of Amsterdam. The identity card - with the stamped J - was, just like the yellow star that Jews were obliged to wear, a means of separating them from their fellow citizens. These identity cards were found in 1960 during a renovation at a former hiding place on Semarangstraat 42-II. Reina Schuitevoerder and Noah Rotstein were arrested there on 11 November 1943. They were murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. Their identity cards are one of the few things that reminds us of them.

17 Showcase 10: Provo’s, hippies and squatters

During the live television transmission of the carriage ride after princess Beatrix and Claus von Amsberg’s wedding on 10 March 1966, people’s television screens suddenly went white. A smoke bomb had been set off. Moments later, someone managed to throw a live chicken at the Gouden Koets (literally ‘golden coach’) the royal couple was riding in. These efforts were inspired by Provo, a group of young people who rejected the establishment. Provo was dissolved in 1967, but the tide could no longer be turned.

For a little while, Amsterdam was the Magical Capital of the world. Young people experimented with drugs, and hippies slept out in the Vondelpark. Provo also inspired the city’s first squatters. The blowback against the far-reaching urban renewal in the old part of the city came to a head in 1973-75 in the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood. From there, the squatters spread all over town.

3. Kraak de Kroning, poster dated 1980 The squatters of Amsterdam seized Queen Beatrix’ coronation on 30 April 1980 as the perfect occasion to stage a protest, with the following catchphrase as their motto: ‘Geen woning, geen kroning!’ (‘no homes, no coronation’).

4. ‘Provo riots: hard hits along the wedding route’. Headlines of Trouw newspaper, 11 March 1966, Municipal Police Archives The disturbances during the wedding of 1. Provo electoral campaign for the 2. ‘1 May = red’ demonstration princess Beatrix and Claus von Amsberg municipal council elections, 1966, organised by the Young Socialists’ on 10 March 1966 in Amsterdam made photo by Cor Jaring Movement and student association the national and international papers, Party leader Bernhard de Vries poses in Politeia, 1 May 1967, photo by and cemented Amsterdam’s reputation front of the election cart with its white Cor Jaring as a troublesome city. bicycle in front of the police station on The procession wound through the the Leidseplein. Provo won a single seat Spuistraat. on the council.

27 2 3

5. Lowlands Weed Company on 7. Notes by the Nieuwmarkt action 10. Notebook containing reports houseboat De Witte Raaf (‘the committee about the construction of the municipal squatting White Raven’) on the Nieuwevaart, of the metro’s east line, 1974-75 negotiations and the house around 1970, photo by Cor Jaring The way the title winds across the page meetings held at 413 Diagonally across from the Kattenburg represents the path the metro would Keizersgracht (a squat), 1980-1981 police station, Kees Hoekert (left) take through the neighbourhood, The pages of this notebook are filled and Robert Jasper Grootveld (right) requiring many houses to be torn down. with notes on the squatters’ laborious created a cannabis farm, with the aim interactions with the municipality, of stimulating the ‘cannabisation our 8. PROVO nr. 3, 1965, Municipal their attempts to have the squat on society’. They sold their plants for one Police Archives the Keizersgracht legalised, and their guilder each. This magazine was used by the domestic affairs. On the left, the Provo movement to report on the minutes of one of their meetings: ‘Our 6. Stickers ‘Nieuwmarkt stays!’ en provocations they had instigated and costs for food gosky high (…) be aware ‘No metro; houses instead’, 1974- provided tips on how to disrupt the of our Western World luxuries, like 1975 authorities in an absurdist manner. cheese, eggs, etc.’. The resistance of the squatters and the inhabitants of the Nieuwmarkt 9. Hippies at the Vondelpark during neighbourhood was unable to stop the the ‘Summer of Love’, 1967, photo construction of Amsterdam’s metro by Cor Jaring line. However, the new highway that Flower Power and pop music took the municipality had planned was possession of the Vondelpark averted, and the small-scale feel of throughout the summer of 1967. the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood was preserved.

37 Showcase 11: I Amsterdam

‘In Mokum, I am rich and happy at the same time’, Johnny Jordaan sang in 1955. Eight centuries of history have shaped the Dutch capital’s unique character. The people of Amsterdam prize freedom and individuality, which holds an irresistible appeal to people from all over the world. The famous canals that date back to the Dutch Golden Age, the Jordaan neighbourhood, the Red Light District and the coffee shops, the cafés and the clubs. The Canal Parade and the Kwaku summer festival, King’s Day celebrations, the Royal Wedding and the Kings Coronation… Amsterdam has got it all.

2. Johan Cruijff, 1969, photo by ANP Famous Dutch artists such as André Johan Cruijff in action during the Hazes, Wolter Kroes and Marco Borsato Telstar-Ajax match on 7 April 1969. have played the festival.

3. ‘You’ll never walk alone’ – to every 6. Prostitutes behind red lit windows AJAX supporter, 1989 on Oudezijds Achterburgwal In 1989, the new Ajax management 68-72, 1934, drawing by Joseph asked its supporters to stay out of Teixeira de Mattos trouble in the stands, so that the Amsterdam’s Red Light District, col- players would be able to focus fully on loquially known as ‘De Wallen’, dates the match. back to the time when the harbour of Amsterdam was at its height; they are 4. Two women on the Tweede now a major tourist attraction. Tuindwarsstraat in the Jordaan neighbourhood, 1967 7. Amsterdam’s coat of arms, 1762, drawing 5. Jordaan Festival, 11-19 September The three crosses were used as the 1954, poster city’s coat of arms as far back as the In 1949, residents of the Jordaan fourteenth century. The emperor’s neighbourhood first organised the crown - actually the imperial crown - Jordaan Festival on the Palmgracht, was granted by Maximilian of Austria in 1. Amsterdam, 1955, poster to breathe new life into what was then 1498. From the start of the 20th century on- Amsterdam’s poorest neighbourhood. wards, many touring boats have been The festival was a huge success, and is circulating the canals of Amsterdam. still celebrated every year.

8 9 10 11 12

8. The wedding of prince 10. Canal Parade on the Prinsengracht Willem-Alexander and Máxima at the height of the Reestraat, Zorreguieta, 2 February 2002, 1997, photo by Bert Gerlagh photo by Martin Alberts This colourful parade of party boats has The Royal Palace of Amsterdam on been part of the annual Amsterdam Dam square with an honour guard Gay Pride as of 1996. During the first made up of members of the Royal weekend of August, the Canal Parade Netherlands Army. Fans of the celebrates Amsterdam’s characteristic monarchy are awaiting the royal freedom and diversity. couple’s appearance on the balcony. As the capital of the Netherlands, 11. Club card and announcement of Amsterdam is where all Dutch heads of drum and bass party ‘Flow’ at club state are married and crowned. RoXY, around 1992 and 1996 From 1987 onwards, RoXY was 9. Two visitors of the Kwaku festival a popular club on the Singel and 13 at the Bijlmerpark, 1992, photo by renowned for its extravagant parties. 13. Zó is de Jordaan (literally: ‘This is Doriann Kransberg The club burned to the ground in 1999 what the Jordaan neighbourhood is The Kwaku festival has been celebrated and was never reopened. like’), Tante Leen (‘Aunt Leen’) and at the Bijlmerpark (now called the Johnny Jordaan, 1964, LP record Mandelapark) every summer as of 1975. 12. Hash pipe, second half of the 20th This record featured famous hits such as It started out as a Surinamese football century ‘Geef mij maar Amsterdam’ (‘I’d rather tournament, but has since grown into a Found during an archaeological survey have Amsterdam’) and ‘Bij ons in de large multicultural festival. on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal in the Jordaan’ (‘With us here in the Jordaan Red Light District. neighbourhood’).

57 Showcase 12: Moving outside

At the end of the 19th century, Amsterdam once again began expanding, a growing process that has not stopped ever since. The General Expansion Plan of 1934 was the first ever initiative aimed at striking a good balance between home, work, leisure and traffic. The construction of the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood in 1966, the start of the current south-eastern district of Amsterdam, represented the last ever large-scale urbanisation of the city’s rural surroundings. IJburg is the city’s newest addition, and is constructed on artificial islands in the waters of the IJ lake. Proper collaboration with the greater region is inevitable these days. Amsterdam is now the centre of a vast metropolitan area.

1. Amsterdam and its surroundings, 1787-1790, etching and gravure, Jan Mol From the 16th century onwards, Amsterdam started having more and more of an impact on the surrounding countryside. This ‘New Map of the World-Famous Merchant City Amsterdam and the Area’ shows how intensively the city’s immediate surroundings were being utilised. The colours indicate a district division for the city’s defense.

2. Map of the General Expansion Plan, 1934 Municipal urban planner Cornelis van Eesteren and his staff worked on this now world-famous plan from 1928 onwards. The alternation of urban neighbourhoods and green areas has determined Amsterdam’s current shape.

67 3

2 4

6 7 8

3. So-called honeycomb apartment 6. ‘For the future of 100,000 8. Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, buildings in the Bijlmermeer Amsterdam residents’, 1962 2016, Plan Amsterdam 2016-2 neighbourhood, 1990, photo by This brochure represented the Amsterdam and the surrounding Doriann Kransberg municipality’s plea for the city’s municipalities form a single As a result of urban renewal, most of expansion towards the southeast. The metropolitan area nowadays, these flats, which were once seen as the three crosses of Amsterdam bisect the stretching from IJmuiden to Lelystad. city’s future, have since been torn down. Bijlmermeerpolder landscape and the Oost Bijlmerpolder. 4. IJburg, 22 May 2009, photo by Doriann Kransberg 7. Amsterdam, 1970, offset, Public As seen from the Diemer Vijfhoek facing Works Department the city, with the Buiten-IJ on the right. The city’s post-war expansion was completed In 1970: the Tuinsteden area 5. Farm ‘Ookmeer’ near the north in Amsterdam-West, Buitenveldert and side of the Ookmeer, 1951, parts of Amsterdam-North. At the time, drawing by Chris Schut Amsterdam had already embarked on Around 1900, the people of Amsterdam its next urban planning adventure: the began discovering the beauty of the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood, whose landscape and nature surrounding the honeycomb apartment buildings city. Due to the city’s rapid growth were still the sole structures in a wide during the 20th century, much of expanse at this time. The A10 ring road this picturesque rural landscape has had also yet to be constructed. disappeared. .

77 Hermes or Mercury, 1926, Oswald Wenckebach (1895-1962) (Floor plan: G) On loan from the ABN AMRO Art and Historical Collections, Amsterdam

87 Charter cabinet, 15th century (Floor plan: H) For many centuries, the most important records in Amsterdam were stored in this wooden archival cabinet – such as the city’s charter and the Toll Privilege issued by count Floris V in 1275, which is the earliest known document to ever make mention of Amsterdam. Up until 1892, the cabinet was located in special room in the ‘Oude Kerk’ or Old Church of Amsterdam. Tree-ring dating on the wood used to make the cabinet has allowed scientists to determine that it was made after 1443, possibly after the great fire of 1452, making this one of the oldest cabinets in the whole of the Netherlands. It illustrates the amount of care that was taken to keep the city’s records, even as far back as the late medieval period.

97 08 Former Boiler room (Floor plan: M) Marble panel from the Boiler room. The Bazel building, now home to the Amsterdam City Archives, was build in 1926 to house the offices of the Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij (Dutch Trading Company). It was provided with ultra-modern technical installations for heating and ventilation, an air-tube mail circulation system and a central clock system.

Drawers belonging to the Amsterdam Orphanage Board (Floor plan: K) These drawers were used by the local ‘Weeskamer’ or Orphanage Board to store the documents that belonged to orphans or half-orphans’ estates. These documents are now stored in the City Archives’s depots. The Orphanage Board’s archive is one of the oldest and most important archives of the city. The extensive archive covers 256 meters of shelf length and spans five centuries. The oldest record dates from 1309.

18 28 38 Colophon

The Amsterdam Treasure Room is a publication of Amsterdam City Archives, part of the City of Amsterdam (Gemeente Amsterdam).

Management and Editing Amsterdam City Archives Patricia Pols Frank Driessen Kim Hensbergen Betty den Exter Blokland – Communicatiebureau Gemeente Amsterdam

Dutch to English translation Vertaalbureau Perfect

Design Renee Bakker – Communicatiebureau Gemeente Amsterdam

Design Floor plan 3w Media B.V. Jos Fleurkens – Wil Marketing

Printing Services OBT Opmeer De Bink Tenders

Credits Amsterdam City Archives (unless otherwise stated) Alphons Nieuwenhuis – Communicatiebureau Gemeente Amsterdam (front and back cover; p. 2-3; p. 6, p. 42; p. 46; p. 47 (top); p. 53; p. 58; p. 59; p. 62-63; p. 70-71; p. 78; p. 79; p. 80-81; p. 82-83; p. 84-85; p. 86-87) ANP (p. 75: 2) Jan Bogaerts (p. 48: 1) Charles Breijer, Nederlands Fotomuseum (p. 69: 5) Henk van der Horst (p. 69: 7) Cor Jaring (p. 34: 1; p. 35: 2-5; p. 72: 1; p. 73: 2, 5, 9) Wim van der Linden / Maria Austria Instituut (p. 28: 1; p. 29: 2-6; p. 33) Monuments and Archeology Amsterdam (p. 44: 1-2; p. 45: 3-4, 6-12; p. 49: 5-7; p. 57: 10; p. 61: 10, p. 75: 12) Frits Rotgans / Nederlands Fotomuseum (p. 26: 1; p. 27: 2-4; p. 32) Gerlinde Schuller (p. 54: 1) Chris Schut (p. 77: 5) A. Wijnberg (p. 69: 3)

Contact Amsterdam City Archives Vijzelstraat 32 1017 HL AMSTERDAM

Telephone: +31 20 251 15 11 Email: [email protected] Website: amsterdam.nl/stadsarchief facebook.com/stadsarchief instagram.com/stadsarchief twitter.com/stadsarchief