Groenburgwal


The Groenburgwal is a canal in Amsterdam that connects the Raamgracht with the Amstel.
The Groenburgwal is parallel to the Kloveniersburgwal and the Zwanenburgwal, in the shadow of the tower of the Zuiderkerk.

History

The area between the Kloveniersburgwal and the Zwanenburgwal was until late in the 16th century "the site outside the fortress at the Amstel".
In 1593 the area was added to the city.
Cloth weavers worked here.
The wool was washed, carded and spun, then cloth was woven from it.
After fulling and dyeing the cloth was tensioned on wooden frames to dry and stretch.
The names of the nearby Raamgracht, the Raamsloot near Rusland, dug in 1537, and the Verversstraat recall those activities.
In the early 17th century, the Amstel between Kloveniersburgwal and Groenburgwal and a little later the 's Gravelandse Veer, between Groenburgwal and Blauwbrug, was compressed.
Around that time the name Groenburgwal was born; green dyers were specially established here.

Monuments and architecture