The Muntplein (

Mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

Square) is a square in the centre of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. The square is in fact a bridge — the widest bridge in Amsterdam — that crosses 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 St ...

canal at the point where it flows into the

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam, to which the rive ...

river. All bridges in Amsterdam are numbered, and the Muntplein carries the number 1. Muntplein is named after the

Munttoren The Munttoren (; "Mint Tower") or Munt () is a tower in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It stands on the busy Muntplein (Amsterdam), Muntplein square, where the Amstel river and the Singel (Amsterdam), Singel canal meet, near the flower market and the east ...

(or simply Munt) tower that stands on this square. This tower was once part of one of the three main medieval city gates. In the 17th century, it temporarily served as a

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

, hence the name. The guard house building attached to the tower is not the original medieval structure but a late 19th-century fantasy. An underpass was added to the building during a 1938–1939 renovation. The name "Muntplein" dates from 1917. The square was originally known as Schapenplein ("sheep square") and, from 1877 to 1917, as Sophiaplein (after Queen Sophia, first wife of

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

). The square is a bustling intersection of six streets. It forms the southern end of the

Kalverstraat The Kalverstraat (, ) is a busy shopping street of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The street runs roughly North-South for about 750 meters, from Dam Square to Muntplein square. The Kalverstraat is the most expensive shopping stree ...

shopping street and the major street

Rokin The Rokin is a canal and major street in the centre of Amsterdam. The street runs from Muntplein, Amsterdam, Muntplein square to Dam Square, Dam square. The Rokin canal used to run from Muntplein square to Dam Square, but in 1936, the part between ...

. The eastern end of the floating flower market (

Bloemenmarkt The Bloemenmarkt () is the world's only floating flower market (place), market. Founded in 1862, it is sited in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Singel (Amsterdam), the Singel canal between Muntplein (Amsterdam), Muntplein and Koningsplein in the city' ...

) along the Singel canal is directly south of the square. Six

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

lines (4, 9, 14, 16, 24 and 25) stop at Muntplein, but only when travelling south. The building on Muntplein at the intersection of the Kalverstraat and Rokin is an early design by prominent Dutch architect

Hendrik Petrus Berlage Hendrik Petrus Berlage (; 21 February 185612 August 1934) was a Dutch architect and designer. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. Life and work Hendrik Petrus Berlage, son of Nicolaas Willem Ber ...

Photo gallery

Image:Muntplein (Amsterdam).JPG, The Muntplein seen from the

shopping street File:Munttoren Amsterdam.jpg, The Muntplein with

as seen from the river

. Image:Hildo Krop Vrouwe Fortuna.jpg, Statue of Lady Fortune on the

near Muntplein Image:De Nederlanden van 1845 Berlage Muntplein.jpg, Building designed by

on Muntplein File:Muntplein tracks, Amsterdam.jpg, Wide view of tram tracks on Muntplein

References

* This article is based on the Dutch Wikipedia article about Muntplein.

External links

* {{Parks and squares in Amsterdam Bridges in Amsterdam Squares in Amsterdam Odonyms referring to a building