Amsterdam
Located south of the Central Railway Station, between Warmoestraat, Nieuwmarkt and Damstraat. It is known locally as 'De Walletjes' (or Wallen), a reference to the low brick walls that enclose its canals (it encompasses the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal, collectively known as the Burgwallen), which once delineated the eastern limit of mediaeval Amsterdam.
Damrak is laid along the length of the old canal that linked the River IJ with Dam Square (the heart of the old center), and which split old Amsterdam into the Oude Zidje (Old Side) and the Nieuwe Zijde (New Side). And nowadays the Red Light District takes up much of the Oude Zidje
Warmoestraat
Once one of the city's most fashionable streets. It was also home to weell-known writer Joost van den Vondel (famous in the Netherlands anyway).
At No 141, you can find the Condomerie Het Gulden Vlies, which specializes in selling the said product.
Oude Kerke
Dating from the 14th Century, it was latter largely gutted by the Protestants, all that was spared were the paintings on the ceiling that could not be reached.
The roof is the largest medieval wooden vault in Europe. The Estonian planks date back to 1390 and boast some of the best acoustics in Europe. Many concerts are performed here, including the BBC Singers and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
The floor consists entirely of gravestones. The reason for this is that the church was built on a cemetery. Local citizens continued to be buried on the site within the confines of the church until 1865. There are 2500 graves in the Oude Kerk, under which are buried 10,000 Amsterdam citizens, including Dutch figureheads, the naval hero Jacob van Heemskerck and Dutch West India Company board member Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders of New Amsterdam on Manhattan, known today as New York.
Rembrandt was a frequent visitor to the Oude Kerk and his children were all christened here. It is the only building in Amsterdam that remains in its original state since Rembrandt walked its halls. In the Holy Sepulchre is a small Rembrandt exhibition, a shrine to his wife "Saskia" van Uylenburgh who was buried here in 1642.
There are three pipe organs in the Oude Kerk, the old church organ built in 1658 and the cabinet organ built in 1767. The third was built by the German Christian Vater in 1724 and is regarded as one of the finest baroque organs in Europe. It was acknowledged by the church Commissioners as "perfect". The organ was dismantled whilst renovations were made to the church tower in 1738, and upon reassembling it, Casper Müller made alterations to give the organ more force. It became known as the Vater-Müller organ, to acknowledge the improvement of sound.
Part of the Oudekerksplein, the alley surrounding the church, is used by prostitutes who offer their services from behind windows. The street also features a bronze relief of a hand caressing a female breast that was set in the cobblestone at night by an anonymous artist. In March 2007 a bronze statue named Belle honoring the prostitutes of the world was also installed there.
Amstelkring
The only surviving 'clandestine' Catholic church, now a museum. In 1578, the city became Protestant but Catholics were allowed to worship so long as this took place in buildings which showed no external sign of being a place of worship. The Amstelkring occupied the attic of a wealthy merchant's house.
The attic of this bourgeois house conceals a secret Catholic church, known as Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Dear Lord in the Attic), originally built in 1663, when Catholics lost their right to workship in their own way. Among other artefacts the museum house contains heavy Dutch furniture, tableclocks and two kitchens with Delft tiles. The lower floors of the building became a museum in 1888 and today contain refurbished rooms, as well as a collection of church silver, various religious artifacts and paintings.
Oudezijds Voorburgwal
The Velvet canal
Accommodation
Several budget hostels exist in the area. Follow this link for further information.
