The Jordaan was designed primarily as a neighborhood for crafts that created a nuisance in the 17th century. Now the Jordaan is a happy place for wealthy Amsterdammers. How did this change take place?
Meet the entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, social workers and philanthropists of the Jordaan.
Time
2,5 hours
Price
€125 for the first person; each additional person + €25; maximum 4 people
Starting point
We meet at the Westerkerk at Prinsengracht
Highlights
– Courtyards
– Workplaces famous 17th century artists and entrepreneurs
– Memorial stones 19th century slums
– Monuments of revolt and resistance
Learn how the area got its unique shape. Why are the streets slanted and why were so many canals turned into streets?
Meet some of the world-famous residents of the district in the 17th century, such as the anatomist and collector Frederik Ruysch, the mapmakers Blaeu and the painter Rembrandt van Rijn.
Visit some typical courtyards where mostly destitute women and vulnerable widows were given shelter and which are still an oasis of peace in a busy city.
The Jordaan was in the 19th century synonymous with abject poverty and wretched housing. Reflect on the memorial stones on which the slum of those days is mapped and see what has been done to improve the neighborhood during the past century.
How true is this image of people of the Jordaan as having hearts of gold, being united, straightforward, and fearless of authority? I will let you in on where to go if you want to get a real Jordaan experience.