Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.^[1] The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010,^[2] contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North".^[3][4]

Quick Facts UNESCO World Heritage Site, Location ...

Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Aerial view of the Canals of Amsterdam
Location	Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv)
Reference	1349
Inscription	2010 (34th Session)
Area	198.2 ha (490 acres)
Buffer zone	481.7 ha (1,190 acres)
Coordinates	52°21′54″N 4°53′16″E
Location of Canals of Amsterdam in North Holland Show map of North Holland Canals of Amsterdam (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands

Close

Much of the Amsterdam canal system is the successful outcome of city planning. In the early part of the 17th century, with immigration rising, a comprehensive plan was put together, calling for four main, concentric half-circles of canals with their ends resting on the IJ Bay. Known as the "grachtengordel",^[5] three of the canals are mostly for residential development (Herengracht or ‘’Patricians' Canal’’; Keizersgracht or ‘’Emperor's Canal’’; and Prinsengracht or ‘’Prince's Canal’’), and a fourth, outer canal, the Singelgracht, for purposes of defense and water management. The plan also envisaged interconnecting canals along radii; a set of parallel canals in the Jordaan quarter (primarily for the transportation of goods, for example, beer); the conversion of an existing, inner perimeter canal (Singel) from a defensive purpose to residential and commercial development; and more than one hundred bridges. The defensive purpose of the Nassau/Stadhouderskade was served by moat and earthen dikes, with gates at transit points but otherwise no masonry superstructures.^[6]

Construction proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout, like a gigantic windshield wiper as the historian Geert Mak calls it – not from the center outwards as a popular myth has it. Construction of the north-western sector was started in 1613 and was finished around 1625. After 1664, building in the southern sector was started, although slowly because of an economic depression.^[which?] The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the Amstel river and the IJ Bay, was not implemented for a long time. In the following centuries, the land went mostly for park, the Botanical garden, old age homes, theaters and other public facilities – and for waterways without much plan.^[7]

Several parts of the city and of the urban area are polders, recognizable by their postfix -meer meaning 'lake', such as Aalsmeer, Bijlmermeer, Haarlemmermeer, and Watergraafsmeer. The canals in Amsterdam are now used for tourism, recreation, houseboats, and a relatively small amount of private transport compared to the main modes of walking, light rail, subway, and bicycle. Most of the canals are paralleled by automobile roads on both sides.

• Map of the Amsterdam city centre with its canals.
• A map showing Amsterdam with its canals from 1662 CE.
• View of the Westerkerk, c. 1660 CE.
• Amsterdam's canal, second half of 17th century.
• View of Oudezijds Voorburgwal, c. 1670 CE.
• View of the Herengracht, c. 1670 CE.
• The Martelaarsgracht, c. 1670 CE.
• The Golden Bend, 1685 CE.
• Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, c. 1686 CE.

Through the mid-19th century, the water in the canals was stagnant and unsanitary, full of garbage, dead fish and feces.^[8] To remedy this, in 1879 the steam-powered pump station Gemaal Zeeburg was built to flush the canals out using water from Zuiderzee.^[9] Conditions were further improved in 1935 when the inner city was first connected to the sewer system, though the Grachtengordel was not fully connected until 1987. Up until this point, houses released wastewater into the canal.^[10] Further attempts to improve the water quality in recent years have included legislation prohibiting houseboats from releasing waste water into the canals. As of 2018, all houseboats are required to be connected to the sewage system, though this is not expected to be achieved until 2021.^{[needs update]} As of August 2018, more than 50 house boats were still releasing their sewage into the canals.^[11]

Another source of water pollution, particular to Dutch transport patterns, is the bicycle. Each year, between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are pulled out of the canals in what is colloquially referred to as 'bike fishing' (fietsen vissen).^[12]

While swimming in the canals is not officially encouraged, locals now swim each year in a number of locations around the city.^[13] Furthermore, since 2012, the Amsterdam City Swim has been held yearly to raise money for ALS research.^[14] In it, volunteers swim from Nieuwe Herengracht to Keizersgracht.^[15] However, the swimming part of the event was canceled in 2018 due to high levels of E. coli found in the water due to heavy rains the preceding weeks which overloaded the sewer system.^[16]

Inward to outward, the canals are as follows:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canals in Amsterdam.

• Lauriergracht
• Spiegelgracht