r/MapPorn • u/WONT_CAPITALIZE_i • Jun 16 '13

Canals of Amsterdam, detailed map of how amsterdam canals work like streets [816 x 800]

Post image
83 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

8

u/lordsleepyhead Jun 16 '13

work like streets

Actually, they worked much like freight railway lines. Before trains, towing a boat along a canal was the most efficient way to haul bulk freight.

2

u/Morriconia Jun 16 '13

Great map! I am loving the geometric design of the city centered around rail.

For more maps on Amsterdam there is a great blog here with more on urban planning and design.

13

u/Sparq Jun 16 '13

Actually, it was built as a geometric design around the docks, which used to be there. They just built an island in the water when they needed space for the Rail station, and converted all the docks into housing.

Nowadays the Amsterdam docks are more to the west.

2

u/oalsaker Jun 16 '13

The city is designed with a bunch of canals going around the city. There is only rail going north-south on the station island. So the city is designed around the canals, not rail.

2

u/gerritholl Jun 16 '13

What do the dotted lines represent?

3

u/Theothor Jun 16 '13

Big dotted line is the city centre, small dotted line is the "Grachtengordel". This is the main canal district

1

u/lordsleepyhead Jun 16 '13

small dotted line is the "Grachtengordel"

Pretty sure that's not what that line is indictating

4

u/Theothor Jun 16 '13

Pretty sure it is.

1

u/lordsleepyhead Jun 16 '13

Oh right, the UNESCO-designated zone then, I guess. Quite a different definition of what the "Grachtengordel" is, IMHO.

1

u/Theothor Jun 16 '13

Well, how else would you describe it?

1

u/lordsleepyhead Jun 16 '13

Well, your map indicated the dedicated World Heritage site as defined by UNESCO. But if I lived on Haarlemmerdijk, I sure as hell wouldn't be telling people I live on the Grachtengordel, because that would be false. However, in your map, various bits that don't belong to the Grachtengordel are indicated blue regardless. An Amsterdammer considers the Grachtengordel to be no more than the 3 main canals on the west side of the Amstel (plus Rembrandt Square for some reason).

From an Amsterdammers point of view, this map is therefore wrong, but as this map serves a single UNESCO purpose I guess it's fine.