This is one of the four great circumferential canals for which Amsterdam is famous. It was an expensive proposition, one that was undertaken at the height of Amsterdam's fortunes, in the 17th Century. The main circumferential canals are crossed by narrower radial canals, as here. Unfortunately, several of these radial canals were victims of filling and today serve is nothing more glorious than parking lots. The beautiful stone-trimmed brick arch bridges are applied almost universally and give the inner city a consistent appearance throughout.
Unfortunately, this excellent plan was abandoned when Amsterdam was next expanded, and all work done since the Golden Age falls far short of the glorious canal district. Most of the rest of the city is actually quite unremarkable.
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