De Geldersekade linksonder op de Vogelvluchtkaart van Cornelis Anthonisz uit 1544. The Geldersekade is a canal and a street in Amsterdam that connects the

Nieuwmarkt Nieuwmarkt (; en, New Market) is a square in the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The surrounding area is known as the Lastage neighborhood. It is situated in the borough of Amsterdam-Centrum. The square is considered part of Amsterdam's Ch ...

with the

Prins Hendrikkade Prins Hendrikkade (Dutch for "Prince Henry's Quay") is a major street in the centre of Amsterdam. It passes Amsterdam Central Station, intersects the Damrak at the mouth of the Amstel river, and forms the southern end of the IJtunnel across the I ...

. The Geldersekade is in the easternmost part of

De Wallen De Wallen () or De Walletjes () is the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately 300 one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a wi ...

, the red light district, and borders Chinatown.

Location

To the west, Elleboogsteeg, Stormsteeg and Waterpoortsteeg streets run between the even-numbered side of the Geldersekade and Zeedijk. To the east, Smidssteeg, Geldersesteeg, Waalsteeg, Binnen Bantammerstraat and Nieuwe Jonkerstraat run between the odd-numbered side and Rechtboomssloot. The monumental house Het Tabaksvat, at Geldersekade 8, was originally a 17th-century merchant's house. The facade is from the last quarter of the 18th century. The interior was used for storage by the ships supply firm J. & J. Vinke, later the Ship Chandlers Warehouse.

History

The Geldersekade was part of the city moat dug at the end of the 15th century that, together with the

Kloveniersburgwal Kloveniersburgwal is an Amsterdam canal flowing south from Nieuwmarkt to the Amstel River on the edge of the medieval city, lying east of the dam in the centre of Amsterdam. History The Kloveniersburgwal was dug at the end of the 15th century ...

and the

Singel The Singel is one of the canals of Amsterdam. The Singel encircled Amsterdam in the Middle Ages, serving as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near the Central Stati ...

, formed the Stedegracht around the city. The Geldersekade ran north from Sint Antoniespoort (now the Waag) on the Nieuwmarkt to the

Schreierstoren The Schreierstoren (English incorrectly translated as: Weeper's Tower), originally part of the medieval city wall of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was built in the 15th century. It was the location from which Henry Hudson set sail on his journey t ...

on the IJ. A city wall was built on the city side, the western bank of the Geldersekade. This is clearly visible on the 1544 bird's-eye view map of Amsterdam by Cornelis Anthonisz. The eastern part, which was outside the city until 1585, was called the Cologne quay and then the Gelderland quay, and also the London quay or English quay for a short time. The names arose because there were jetties here where the ships from

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and England moored. The Geldersekade lost its function as a moat after the Nieuwe Gracht (the current Oude Schans) was dug and new city walls were built. The old city wall was demolished and houses were built. The Lastage was developed between the Geldersekade and the Oudeschans. A fish market was built after 1840 in the water of the Geldersekade, on the north side of the Nieuwmarkt. It replaced the fish market on

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

, which had to make way for the Beurs van Zocher. The scaffolding and wooden sheds were replaced in 1862 by the stone Gemeentelijke Vishal, which was demolished in 1938. The entire quay has been called Geldersekade since 3 April 1912. In addition, the nearby Leliestraatje was given the name Geldersesteeg.De naam van onze straat, J.A.Wiersma 1978

Bridges

* Gelderschebrug, bridge no. 297, is across the Recht Boomssloot / corner of Geldersekade. * Bantammer Bridge, bridge No. 298, connects the Binnen Bantammerstraat with the Stormsteeg. * Hoofdbrug, bridge no. 299, is located over the Geldersekade at the Prins Hendrikkade. * Kolkswaterkering, bridge no. 301, borders the Geldersekade at the Oudezijds Kolk / Prins Hendrikkade corner. There is also a diver bridge (495) in the Nieuwmarkt, the Bijleveldschesluis, over the water connection with the Kloveniersburgwal.

Traffic

Until October 1980, the east side of the Geldersekade was an important through route, also for public transport. From 1905 to 1942, tram line 8 ran over the quay. After the war, tram line 26 (1946–48) and tram line 11 ran successively along the quay until 1955. After that it was a bus route with very intensive bus traffic from the early 1970s, especially for the bus line to the Bijlmer. After the opening of the metro to

Amsterdam Centraal station Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, m ...

in 1980, the east side of the Geldersekade was re-profiled. It was no longer suitable for bus traffic, which now had to pass through Valkenburgerstraat. Today it is an important cycle route. File:(Fishmarket and bourse (i.e. weighing house), Amsterdam, Holland) LOC 4120057770.jpg , Fishmarket and weighing house c. 1895 file:Geldk8.jpg , Geldersekade 8, ''The Tabaksvat'' (±1775). file:Geldersekade 107 across.jpg , Geldersekade 107. file:Chinatown Amsterdam.jpg , Chinese part of Geldersekade File:Adamchinatown1.JPG , Dutch and Chinese street signs

Notes

Sources