Three Major Waterways in Amsterdam

Herengracht is the first of the three major canals as well as the three main canals of Amsterdam; the other two are Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht. They were all dug in the 17th century, not only for flood control but mainly to develop residential areas along both banks. At that time, this was the world’s premier waterway planning project, referenced by leaders of many cities.

Additionally, there is a fourth large canal – Singelgracht – on the outer ring, believed to serve as a barrier against enemy forces invading Amsterdam and to protect the Dutch capital from being submerged by the sea.

Next to that are countless small canals branching off into the main canals, forming an irrigation system spanning hundreds of kilometers. Some canals were dug in the 14th century, but most were built in the 17th century—the golden age of Amsterdam.

In 2010, UNESCO recognized the three major canals mentioned above, along with the houses on either side of them, as a World Heritage Site. Regarding the houses, according to UNESCO’s website, “most of the houses were built in the 17th and 18th centuries, they still stand strong and are often well-preserved.” Such a condition is beneficial for the overall city because they continue to be places where people live and actively engage…

Among the canals, Herengracht is the most “prestigious” area to live in. According to historical records, in 1631, the dream of the textile merchant Cornelis Jansz Blaeuwenduijff became a reality. He bought a piece of land at number 101 on the canal-side street, which shares its name with the canal, and built a two-story house with an attic, 5.30 meters wide – most of the houses here are of the same width. On the gate of the house, the owner hung a sign depicting a blue pigeon and his name – Blaeuweduijff – which also means Blue Pigeon.

In the early 1950s, after more than three centuries of being just a regular place to live, this house with a total construction area of nearly 300 square meters changed its function to become a hotel named after its new owner: Post. But by 1979, the Post Hotel was divided into dozens of apartments to sell—at high prices—for those who wanted to live there. That is just one of many examples showing the “prestige” and “high price” of the houses along this canal.

Housing is too expensive – currently reaching up to a million US dollars for a 30 square meter apartment – and almost the entire central area of Amsterdam has prices close to that, just like the “prestigious” areas of Paris, New York, or Tokyo. So some people have chosen to live on boats moored along the canals.

The capital of the Netherlands is a city of canals and bicycles, and even “houseboats” on some of the canals.

Standing on the edge of a bridge on Herengracht, looking down at the canal, you can already see some of those “houseboats.” It is said that there are currently nearly 1,000 numbered “houseboats” allowed to exist in the center of Amsterdam. It seems that until now, the authorities here have not yet resolved the issue caused by some people in this special group of residents: the waste they discharge has polluted the canals. Especially after the water rises and falls, creating a sluggish current.

There is even a museum dedicated to this waterway lifestyle, but it’s located on another canal—the Prinsengracht. This is the longest canal among the main canals, the most polluted because it is stagnant water, smelling just like the Nhieu Loc canal in Ho Chi Minh City before.

For many centuries, the only solution to address the nuisance caused by the foul smell was to fill the canals with sand. Seventy small canals have disappeared in this way. But because Prinsengracht is an important waterway, the route for transporting goods to many warehouses in Amsterdam, filling in this canal was never considered. Stinking, but we have to endure! Of course, it still stinks now, but, it is said, it has improved compared to before thanks to the higher civic awareness in Amsterdam and the better new technology for water pollution treatment in the Netherlands.

This time in the Dutch capital, it was actually only for about half a day because we had to return to Schiphol Airport, and from there to a nearby hotel – there are always free buses from Schiphol that run through the hotels around there – to continue the journey the next morning with a group of tourists. So there was no time to take my wife sightseeing in many places, only the Herengracht canal and a few streets near Amsterdam Central Station, a national heritage site of the Netherlands, one of the ten most beautiful train stations in Europe.

Opened in 1889, this station is also a tourist attraction. Its facade is adorned with red bricks interspersed with white ones, quite striking thanks to the two symmetrical towers on either side. Each tower has an antique-style clock, the kind placed outdoors, similar to the one that used to be at the Central Post Office of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City, built around the same period.

My wife was amazed by the beauty of this station. Looking from the outside, although it appears massive and has many angular shapes, it still possesses the soft, graceful, and charming features of Renaissance architecture created by the windows. According to my wife, it is the beauty of harmony and balance.

She also mentioned that when looking at Amsterdam Central Station, she was reminded of Melbourne’s first station and the first in Australia, Flinders. It is also a Renaissance-style architecture – opened in 1854, but continued to be renovated and expanded for many years thereafter…

However, unlike Flinders which is only for intercity trains, Amsterdam Central Station is an international station. It is a hub for train lines running to the Dutch capital from many cities in Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, and other European countries.

Just stopping by Amsterdam for half a day is too little, according to my wife, because there must be many more things to see. That’s absolutely true. If it weren’t for the Covid-19 pandemic, we would have returned here last May and planned to stay in the Dutch capital for a few days to explore. The itinerary was planned, the plane tickets were bought, but we had to cancel.

The Singapore airline – very kind – offered two options: keep the ticket with an additional 20% value but must rebook within 12 months, or receive a full refund of the ticket price. At first, we chose the first option. But then, not knowing if we could go to Europe again in mid-2021, we changed our minds a month later and requested a refund. Yet the company still agreed…