Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
emperors, spears and shells - as
well as Rembrandt's precious art
books and an inventory of his
effects
(see p15)
.
d
Jodenbreestraat
4
•
Map Q5
•
020 520 0400
•
www.
rembrandthuis.nl
•
Open 10am-5pm
Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun & public hols
•
Admission charge
Zeedijk
Built in the early 1300s, the
Zeedijk (sea dyke) was part of
Amsterdam's original fortifications.
As the city grew the canals were
filled in and the dykes became
obsolete. At No. 1 is one of the
city's two remaining wooden-
fronted houses, dating from the
16th century. It is not open to
the public. Opposite is St Olofs-
kapel, built in 1445 and named
after the first Christian king of
Norway and Denmark.
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Map Q2
The Waag, Nieuwmarkt
Oude Kerk
The oldest church in
Amsterdam has been altered and
extended over the years,
producing a heavenly jumble of
architectural styles from medieval
to Renaissance
(see pp28-9)
.
Nieuwmarkt
This vast open square has
been a marketplace since the
15th century, and is still the
scene of a Sunday antiques
market in summer. Alone in the
middle stands the bulky Waag
(1488), bristling with turrets. The
eastern gate in the city's
defences, it was originally called
St Antoniespoort. In the 17th
century it became a weigh-house
and home to numerous guilds,
including the surgeons'. It was
here that Rembrandt painted his
famous
Anatomy Lesson of Dr
Tulp
, now in the Mauritshuis, The
Hague. There were few problems
acquiring bodies for dissection,
since public executions took place
in the Nieuwmarkt.
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Map P3
Red Light District
The world's oldest profession
aptly occupies Amsterdam's
oldest quarter, de Walletjes (“the
little walls”), bordered by Zeedijk,
Kloveniersburgwal, Damstraat and
Warmoesstraat. Today, the district
is one of the city's greatest tourist
attractions, with scantily clad
prostitutes, pouting or indifferent,
sitting in windows or lolling in
doorways along Oudezijds
Voorburgwal and the lanes off it.
At night these lanes become the
haunts of junkies and pickpockets,
and are best avoided.
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Map P2, P3
Museum Het
Rembrandthuis
Major refurbishment has recreat-
ed the interior as it might have
been in Rembrandt's time. Of
special interest are pictures by
his master, Pieter Lastman. One
room contains exotic collectibles
of the day - busts of Roman
Red Light District
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