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ARCHIVE JUNE 2008

August 6th 2008 NEDERLANDS

Hudde's stone

Covered with green growth and partly hidden by a lockdoor of the Unicorn Lock, a stone can be found which was declared a historical monument in 2005. Under orders of mayor Joannes Hudde, the stone was placed there in 1683 as a benchmark for water levels in the canals of the city.

The horizontal mark on that stone indicates the height of the sea dykes which protected the city against floods in those days. The average seawater level at high tide became the basis for “Amsterdams Peil” (Amsterdam waterlevel), being 9 feet and five inches below the mark on the stone. Protection against floods and removal of dirty canal water were the main reasons for developing norms for water control. Hudde developed a system of waterlocks, watermills and water level markers which should ensure that Amsterdammers would keep their feet dry and would not fall ill from the stench and pollution of the canal water. Nine benchmark-stones were cemented into the walls of locks and bridges. Only the stone in the Unicorn Lock survived. In 2005, the lock and the stone were place on the list of Municipal historical monuments.

An important monument: Ämsterdams Peil” became N.A.P, “Nieuw Amsterdams Peil” which now is the benchmark for all measurement of water and land levels in the Netherlands and in most other European countries.

Mayor Joannes Hudde, Lord of Waveren and Sloterdijk was probably the first watermanagement engineer ever.

The Amstel Locks were his idea, he developed water-mills and drainage canals and even travelled to the upper Rhine once to investigate if dredging that river would contribute to a better water management in Amsterdam.

“His” stone is probably the least known historical monument in the city. There is not even a complete piicture of it in existence as the lockdoor covers part of it. That lockdoor never gets closed, so only two thirds of the stone is visible. That may change. The Bureau for watermanagement (BBA) will investigate the possibility to open that lockdoor a crack one day, to enable photographing the entire stone. If and when that happens, Amsterdam Canal Journal will certainly report on it.

Translation: Sea dyke level

being nine feet and five inches above city waterlevel

Mayor Joannes Hudde, Lord of Waveren and Sloterdijk

Hudde's stone: The least known historical monument in Amsterdam

June 20th, 2008

Styrofoam and old fishnets

A garden of 2000 Sq feet with apple and hazelnut

trees, where you can find strawberries, blueberries, rhubarb, grapes, kiwi’s and a Mediterranean herb garden. With a small temple and a patch of grass to pitch your tent on and a sail with an enormous Dutch flag. All that could be admired for a week in a harbour in the center of town: the Oosterdok, across the water from the maritime museum.

Floating on Styrofoam.

With a subsidy from the Amsterdam municipal Fund

for the Arts, Arno Baan and Ellen Wierda have spent the last year restoring one of the floating islands of ‘styrofoam prophet’ Jasper Grootveld. His technique

to wrap blocks of Styrofoam in old fishnets and then

tie them together to form floating islands is becoming popular. Floating gardens can be found everywhere

in the city nowadays. Arno calls himself a pupil of Jasper Grootveld, honoured to be able to finish the master’s work.

The ‘Ocean’ is the flagship of Grootveld’s Styrofoam fleet. She is supposed to be back in her own berth at ‘Entrepothaven’ by Saturday, but host ARCAM appreciates the new greenery in their view so much, that they have extended the invitation.

On the weblog of the ‘Ocean’ http://www.deoceaan.blogspot.com

Ellen and Arno wrote this today:

“We are OK here. The swans think so, and the ducks and the coots and the people. ARCAM thinks so too. We have been invited to stay here for the summer,

so we are negotiating with the authorities to get the permit.

Of course this is a magnificent place for a ‘postage stamp park’. The people in the surrounding houseboats also think it is a good idea. So this one

or another one will come back here!”

The new view from architectural foundation Arcam's windows

Many visitors, even on a rainy day

Painting by Arno

June 13th, 2008

“I submerge to come up again”

On the famous canal of the seven bridges, the Reguliersgracht at nr. 34, stands a house that is remarkable in several ways. Although the width covers only 3 windows, it has 2 stairways leading to 2 front doors.

The house was bought in 1732 by Arent van der Burgh, who had the front rebuilt two years later to include a separate entrance to the upstairs apartment. The eagle on top of the gable stands for his first name, ´Arent´ means eagle in Dutch.

This information came from the present occupants, 10 members of the Amsterdam Student Union ´Unica´, which owns the building. “There used to be a storage area for herbs and spices

in the building, you can still smell it. The hoisting mechanism to hoist spices to the top floors is still there”

The students are well informed, they add another interesting detail about their residence:

During the Nazi occupation, between May 23^rd 1943 and May 5^th 1945, a number of Jewish people found a hiding place there and survived the war. Initially there was only one ’submerger’,

a friend of the occupant in those days. At the end of the war, 11 people were hidden in the building. In memory of this episode, a plaque was placed on the gable last december.

Under an image of St. George and the dragon it reads: “ Submergo ut emergam” which means:

“I submerge to come up again”

Kees Hilgers

The house of 'Eagle'

June 5th, 2008

Skinny Bridge colours orange for EC Soccer

Our world-famous Skinny Bridge is illuminated with 1800 lightbulbs. Energy Supplier NUON counted them all and replaced them with energy saving lamps with orange covers. A gesture from NUON to all Amsterdammers to help create the right 'orange athmosphere' for soccer fans in the onset to the European championship. Part of a NUON campaign promoting energy-saver lamps: at several distribution points in the country, tens of thousands of these lamps are handed out free to passers-by.

Amsterdammers have found a creative method to secure their 'gifts' from NUON. The company has had to replace 600 new lightbulbs on the Skinny Bridge with newer ones. "People can come and pick up their lightbulbs free of charge," says NUON Spokeswoman Floske Kusse, "but when they unscrew one from the bridge themselves, I guess the gift becomes a real souvenir" She smiles and assures me that the 'damage' gets repaired every day, "because the picture has to remain pretty."

That pretty picture has a history which goes back 80 years, to another landmark of sports history.

On august 3rd 1928, the oval photo on the right was published in 'Amsterdam Weekly' magazine.

The city was host to the Olympic games that summer. The Skinny bridge and most of the other bridges across the canals were decorated and illuminated for the first time on that occasion.

A tradition was born.Today it is difficult to imagine our canals at night without the lights on the bridges and their reflection in the water.