ABSTRACT
Amsterdam’s history goes back to the thirteenth century.1 The town developed where the River Amstel flowed out into the IJ, at that time still a bay in the Zuiderzee (previously part of the North sea, but during the present century cut off from it and renamed IJsselmeer). Around 1270 a barrier or dam was built in the Amstel, and this has given its name not only to the town itself but also to its central square, the Dam. The original settlement consisted of two streets parallel with the river, the Warmoesstraat and the Nieuwendijk of today. It was surrounded by simple defences, with the two moats, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal (now a street) and Oudezijds Voorburgwal. Amsterdam flourished on fishing and the Baltic trade, and became an important port. Twice during the Middle Ages the town was extended, acquiring new streets and moats parallel with the Amstel, which gave medieval Amsterdam its long, thin appearance (figure 15.1).
