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Grachtengordel

Field	Value
official_name	Canal District
native_name	Grachtengordel
settlement_type	World Heritage Site
image_skyline	Amsterdam (8697325011).jpg
image_caption	Reguliersgracht, Amsterdam-Centrum
image_map	Map_NL_-_Amsterdam_-_Grachtengordel.png
map_caption	Location of the Grachtengordel (green) in Amsterdam
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Netherlands
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	North Holland
subdivision_type2	Municipality
subdivision_name2	Amsterdam
subdivision_type3	Borough
subdivision_name3	Centrum
unit_pref	Imperial
timezone	CET
utc_offset	+1
coordinates
footnotes	{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
child	yes
official_name	Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht
criteria	(i), (ii), (iv)
ID	1349
year	2010
area	198.2 ha
buffer_zone	481.7 ha

The Grachtengordel (, ), known in English as the Canal District, is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010. The Amsterdam Canal District consists of the area around the city's four main canals: the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. From the Brouwersgracht, the canals are generally parallel with one another, leading gradually southeast into the Amstel river.

Many of the canal houses in the Amsterdam Canal District are from the Dutch Golden Age, 17th century. Many of these buildings, however, underwent restoration or reconstruction in various centuries, meaning that the buildings display many different architectural styles and facades.

History

Until the end of the 16th century, the city of Amsterdam encompassed the area inside the Singel and what is now Kloveniersburgwal. After the Alteration and change in management, the city expanded explosively. This led to Amsterdam's expansion in four stages between 1585 and 1665. In 1613, during the Twelve Years' Truce, reclamation of Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht began.

After the Peace of Westphalia, Amsterdam created new space for investment and new plans were developed to expand the city. From about 1660, the canals were extended to the Amstel; these extensions bear the names: Nieuwe Herengracht, Nieuwe Keizersgracht and Nieuwe Prinsengracht. With this expansion, the city formed its iconic crescent shape.

World Heritage

In July 2006, the city of Amsterdam announced its intention to nominate the canal ring as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because of new administrative requirements for the nomination, however, the nomination was delayed until December 2008. On August 1, 2010, at the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee the Grachtengordel was added to the World Heritage List.

Amsterdam's canal belt has been named a World Heritage Site under the criteria I, II, and IV; “to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;” “to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;” and “to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history,” respectively.

In 2013, Amsterdam celebrated the 400th birthday of the Canal Ring.

Museums and tourist attractions

The area is known for its small bridges going over the canals and 17th-century canal homes. The Anne Frank House is located in the Grachtengordel neighborhood on Prinsengracht.

Other museums in the area include Het Grachtenhuis, Museum Van Loon, Museum of Bags and Purses, Museum Willet-Holthuysen, Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, Bijbels Museum, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet & Smokiana, Huis Marseille, and Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen.

References

"Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org.
"World Heritage Committee inscribes five new cultural sites on World Heritage List and approves two extensions to existing properties". UNESCO.
"Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht". UNESCO.
"The Criteria for Selection". UNESCO.
"Amsterdam's Canal Ring".
Martin Dunford. (2010). "The Rough Guide to The Netherlands". Penguin.
"Museums in Amsterdam canal houses".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

canals-in-amsterdam neighbourhoods-of-amsterdam world-heritage-sites-in-the-netherlands

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