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Nieuwe Keizersgracht

AC with 0 elementsCanals in Amsterdam
Nieuwe Keizersgracht Amsterdam
Nieuwe Keizersgracht Amsterdam

The Nieuwe Keizersgracht is a canal in Amsterdam, part of the eastern Grachtengordel (canal belt).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Nieuwe Keizersgracht (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Nieuwe Keizersgracht
Nieuwe Keizersgracht, Amsterdam Centrum

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.365 ° E 4.904722 °
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Address

Nieuwe Keizersgracht 56G
1018 DT Amsterdam, Centrum
North Holland, Netherlands
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Nieuwe Keizersgracht Amsterdam
Nieuwe Keizersgracht Amsterdam
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The Dockworker
The Dockworker

The Dockworker (Dutch: De Dokwerker) is a sculpture and monument located at Jonas Daniël Meijerplein in Amsterdam, commemorating the February strike of 1941. The statue was commissioned by the Municipality of Amsterdam and created by sculptor Mari Andriessen. The Haarlem carpenter/contractor Willem Termetz, who knew Andriessen before the war, posed for the statue in 1951. It is believed that they were both part of the resistance. Termetz's heavy build had the presence Andriessen sought. Termetz was initially reluctant to be immortalized in a statue, as he considered the February strike sacred and was not convinced a statue was necessary. Eventually, Godfried Bomans persuaded him to pose. The final version was expected to be ready in mid-1951 after several designs in a plaster model. It was completed a year later. The statue of the dockworker was cast in bronze in 1952 at Binder bronze foundry in Haarlem. Photos made the statue known in the press. On March 28, 1952, the Haarlems Dagblad wrote: "Mari Andriessen has taken an ordinary dockworker as a symbol of the strike, not an idealized worker." The then-Queen Juliana unveiled the statue on December 19, 1952. Since then, it has been the central location for the annual commemoration of the February strike on February 25. The monument has also been the starting or ending point of demonstrations against racism several times. The Dockworker did not always stand in its current location. Initially, the statue faced the Waterlooplein. In 1970, it was relocated to face the Portuguese Synagogue due to metro and Stopera construction works.

Magere Brug
Magere Brug

The Magere Brug (English: Skinny Bridge) is a bridge over the river Amstel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It connects the banks of the river at Kerkstraat, between the Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht.The central section of the Magere Brug is a bascule bridge made of white-painted wood. The present bridge was built in 1934. The first bridge at this site was built in 1691 as Kerkstraatbrug and had 13 arches. Because this bridge was very narrow, the locals called it magere brug, which literally means "skinny bridge". In 1871 the state of the bridge had deteriorated so much, it was demolished and replaced by a nine-arched wooden bridge. Half a century later, this bridge also needed to be replaced. Architect Piet Kramer made several designs for a steel and stone bridge, but the city decided to replace it with a new bridge that looked the same as the previous, only slightly bigger. In 1934, that bridge was demolished, and replaced by a redesign made by Piet Kramer. The last major renovation was in 1969. Until 1994, the bridge was opened by hand, but is now operated automatically. Use of the bridge has been limited to pedestrians and cyclists since 2003. The centre-part is opened many times, daily, in order to let river traffic pass. The sightseeing tour boats are low enough to pass underneath the bridge when closed. The bridge is decorated with 1,200 light bulbs which are turned on in the evening. A story told to tourists about the origins of the 1691 version of the bridge is that it was built by two sisters who lived on opposite sides of the Amstel river and wanted to be able to visit one another, every day. In one variant of the story, the sisters were not able to afford a bridge of adequate width or height for general use, so a very narrow bridge was built, hence its name. In another variant, the sisters' last name was Mager (skinny), which gave name to the bridge (rather than its narrowness). Recent research of city archives revealed the name has its origin in the fact that originally a broad and monumental stone bridge was planned during Amsterdam's prosperous Golden Age, but the 1672 economic setback forced the city council to drastically scale back the plans, and build a basic and simple structure instead. Locals regard the bridge as the most romantic of all in Amsterdam. It is a common site for proposals and lovers' strolls. Additionally, legend says that a kiss between lovers while on this bridge (or passing beneath by boat) ensures that they will be in love forever. The bridge can be seen in a number of films, including the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, in which the legend of the bridge's being built is told by a boat tour guide.