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Omval

Field	Value
official_name	Omval
settlement_type	Neighbourhood of Amsterdam
image_skyline	Omval_Amsterdam.jpg
image_caption	Omval seen from the Korte Ouderkerkerdijk on the other side of the Amstel
image_map	Map NL - Amsterdam - De Omval.png
map_caption	Location of Omval (green) in Amsterdam
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Netherlands
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_type2	Municipality
subdivision_type3	Borough
subdivision_name1	North Holland
subdivision_name2	Amsterdam
subdivision_name3	Oost
unit_pref	Imperial
postal_code	1096
timezone	CET
utc_offset	+1

Omval is a neighbourhood situated on a peninsula on the eastern shore of the Amstel river in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is situated south of the Weesperzijde neighbourhood and next to the Amsterdam Amstel railway station in the borough of Amsterdam-Oost. In the 1990s, it became the site of a major business district featuring the Rembrandt Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Amsterdam.

History

An etching by Rembrandt, who was known to be working in the area, depicts the Omval area in the mid-1600s. The print shows a man standing on the Amstel embankment and two lovers sitting underneath an old willow tree, as well as a windmill used to pump water from the polder. In Rembrandt's time, the Omval was a popular countryside recreation area.

In the 20th century, the Omval became a mixed commercial and light industry area which was then on the edge of the city. In the 1990s, this area was redeveloped into a major business district, which was now firmly within the metropolitan area due to the city's expansion in southeastern direction and well-connected via train and metro because of the nearby Amsterdam Amstel railway station. Along the river bank, a number of luxury apartment buildings were constructed.

Notable buildings

In 1987, the Amsterdam municipal council approved plans to build three skyscrapers in the Omval district, to be named after Dutch painters. The first building to be completed was the Rembrandt Tower (1995), modelled after the Empire State Building in New York City, which became the tallest building in the city. With its 135 meters, it has become a notable landmark in the city's skyline. In 2001, the Mondriaan Tower and Breitner Tower were completed. The Breitner Tower became the headquarters of Philips Electronics and is therefore also known as the Philips Tower. The Mondriaan currently houses the headquarters of Delta Lloyd Insurance Group and Rabobank Amsterdam.

Next to the Rembrandt Tower, on the site of the headquarters of the former Postbank, is the Leeuwenburg building of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA), the city's university of applied sciences. Covering a total of 65,000 square meters, Leeuwenburg is one of the largest campuses of HvA.

References

"Timeline". Rembrandt Tower.
"De Omval aan de Amstel (1645)". Rembrandthuis.
"Rembrandt's Amsterdam". Rembrandthuis.
"Omval & Groene Staart". Amsterdam Museum.
"Rembrandttoren (skyscraper)". Iamsterdam.com.
"Leeuwenburg, Amsterdam". Syb van Breda & Co. Architects.

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.

neighbourhoods-of-amsterdam amsterdam-oost

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