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Prins Hendrikkade (
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
for "Prince Henry's Quay") is a major street 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 ...
. It passes
Amsterdam Central Station Amsterdam Centraal station ( ; 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, making it the second busiest railway stati ...
, intersects the
Damrak The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the cent ...
at the mouth of 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, and forms the southern end of the
IJtunnel The IJtunnel, opened on 30 October 1968, is an automobile tunnel under the IJ (Amsterdam), IJ that connects the centre of Amsterdam with Amsterdam-Noord. The tunnel is part of a route across Amsterdam that connects the Ringweg North with the R ...
across the IJ bay. The street formed the northern edge and outer harbour of the city until the 19th century. It was named after Prince Henry of the Netherlands, youngest son of King William II, following Henry's death in 1879. The Prins Hendrikkade runs roughly northwest to southeast, from the northern end of
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 to Kattenburgerplein square. Car traffic is banned from the part of the street directly in front of Amsterdam Central Station, between Martelaarsgracht and
Damrak The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the cent ...
. The street continues in westerly direction as Nieuwe Westerdokstraat and Haarlemmerhouttuinen. At the eastern end, the street turns north at Kattenburgerplein and continues as Kattenburgerstraat. The body of water between Prins Hendrikkade and the train station is known as Open Havenfront and, further east, as Oosterdok. Along the street are 99 buildings that have been listed as national monument (''
rijksmonument A (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 l ...
''). Prominent buildings on the street include the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the
Schreierstoren The Schreierstoren (English language, English incorrectly translated as: ''Weeper's Tower'' or ''Tower of Tears''), originally part of the Walls of Amsterdam, medieval city wall of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was built in the 15th century. It is ...
, the Scheepvaarthuis, and Victoria Hotel. Along the eastern part of the street are a number of quays where
houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...
s are moored. Prins Hendrikkade has been depicted by various artists, including
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...
, who painted it in 1874.


Public transport

Amsterdam Central Station Amsterdam Centraal station ( ; 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, making it the second busiest railway stati ...
, the city's main train station, is situated just north of the street. The Amsterdam Central Station stop of the
Amsterdam Metro The Amsterdam Metro () is a rapid transit system serving Amsterdam, Netherlands, and extending to the surrounding List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipalities of Diemen and Ouder-Amstel. Until 2019, it also served the municipality o ...
has an entrance on Prins Hendrikkade, just east of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. A number of bus lines also have a stop at Prins Hendrikkade.
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 and 14 traverse part of Prins Hendrikkade between Amsterdam Central Station and
Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city 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. ...
, but do not stop on the street itself. Canal tour boats (so-called ''rondvaartboten'') are moored on Prins Hendrikkade near the station. Water taxis have a stop near the Scheepvaarthuis (Grand Hotel Amrâth).


History

The Prins Hendrikkade originally formed the ''Open Havenfront'', the northern edge and outer harbour of the city, along the IJ waterfront. This lasted until the 19th century, when Amsterdam Central Station was built on artificial islands north of Prins Hendrikkade.


Original streets

The street was named in 1879 after Prince Henry of the Netherlands (who died in that year), replacing a patchwork of existing street names, from west to east: ''Haringpakkerij'', ''Tesselse Kade'', ''Oude Teertuinen'', ''Kamperhoofd'' and ''Buitenkant''. The westernmost section, between Haarlemmersluis (at the northern end of 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) and Martelaarsgracht, was originally known as ''Haringpakkerij'' because the area was used for the local
herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...
industry. A defensive tower known as the Haringpakkerstoren stood here until it was demolished in the 19th century. East of the ''Haringpakkerij'', the street was originally known as ''Tesselse Kade'' or ''Texelse Kade'' ("
Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...
Quay"). This narrow quay replaced an area that was used as timber yards (''houttuinen'') until the 17th century. After the artificial islands for Amsterdam Central Station were constructed in 1872–1879, the Tesselse Kade was broadened and renamed Prins Hendrikkade. A small park known as Prins Hendrikplantsoen was constructed on the now wide street, and a bust of Prince Henry was placed in the park (the bust was moved to the eastern part of Prins Hendrikkade in 1979). The terrain sloped down gently from the Prins Hendrikkade to a quay along the waterside. This quay was replaced in the 1960s with docks for canal tour boats operated by the company of J.H. Bergmann."Cultuurhistorische verkenning Fietsenstalling Kade OHF Midden Zuidzijde"
Gemeente Amsterdam, February 2014 (in Dutch)
At the intersection with the Damrak, where the Amstel river flows into the IJ bay, the Prins Hendrikkade runs across the river's mouth on the ''Nieuwe Brug'' ("new bridge"). The first bridge here was constructed in the late 13th or early 14th century. In 1560 the ''Paalhuis'' was built adjacent to the bridge to collect customs duties on shipping. This
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
building was demolished in the middle of the 17th century. East of the Damrak, the street was originally known as ''Teertuinen'' ("
tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
yards") because the area was used to store tar. The storage of this highly flammable substance presented a serious fire hazard, so in 1664 the storage of tar was moved to newly constructed artificial islands known as the Westelijke Eilanden. Subsequently, the street continued to be known as the ''Oude Teertuinen'' ("former tar yards"). The section at the northern end of Oudezijds Kolk canal was known as ''Kamperhoofd''. A large cannon was placed on the
city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...
at Kamperhoofd, which formed the northernmost point of the medieval city.Peter-Paul de Baar
"Prins Hendrikkade 86. Reders, cargadoors, kolenhandelaren en een tandarts"
''Ons Amsterdam'', 1 January 2011 (in Dutch)
The easternmost part of the street was originally known as ''Buitenkant'' ("outside"), a name reflected in the street name ''Binnenkant'' ("inside") which still exists opposite this section of the street.


21st-century modernisation

In 2018, the part of the street directly in front of Amsterdam Central Station, between Martelaarsgracht and
Damrak The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the cent ...
, was made car-free in an effort to reduce east–west car traffic through the city centre and simplify the often chaotic traffic situation in front of the station. East–west traffic is since led along the northern side of the station. The city government has announced plans to modernise the eastern part of Prins Hendrikkade in order to make the area safer for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The project is expected to start in 2023.


Trivia

* Jazz musician
Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...
died in 1988 after having apparently fallen out of the window of his room in Hotel Prins Hendrik at Prins Hendrikkade 53. * Pink Floyd played on several occasions at Club Fantasio, then housed at number 142. * Naval fleet commander admiral
Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...
lived from 1654 to 1676 at number 131.


Gallery

Victoriahotel.jpg, Victoria Hotel on the corner with
Damrak The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal at the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the cent ...
Het Scheepvaarthuis is voorzien van bouwornamenten in smeedijzer, graniet en terracotta - Amsterdam - 20408984 - RCE.jpg, The Scheepvaarthuis seen from Prins Hendrikkade Amsterdam Gebouw Batavia 001.JPG, Gebouw Batavia, Prins Hendrikkade 84-85 WLM_-_andrevanb_-_amsterdam,_prins_hendrikkade_20_(1).jpg, Gebouw Mercurius, Prins Hendrikkade 20-21 Henryofthenetherlands.JPG, Bust of Prince Henry of the Netherlands Metro-ingang Prins Hendrikkade.jpg, Entrance to the
Amsterdam Metro The Amsterdam Metro () is a rapid transit system serving Amsterdam, Netherlands, and extending to the surrounding List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipalities of Diemen and Ouder-Amstel. Until 2019, it also served the municipality o ...


See also

* Land register building (Amsterdam)


References

{{commons category, Prins Hendrikkade, Amsterdam Streets in Amsterdam