Amsterdam’s Singel began as the medieval city’s defensive edge and became an inner working canal as the city expanded. Traces at Torensluis and in the quay stones reveal the walls, trade and everyday life once tied to its water.
Quick facts
In the second half of the fifteenth century, Singel formed part of Amsterdam’s city boundary, with walls and gates on its landward side.
The Bloemenmarkt moved to the Singel between the Munt and Koningsplein in 1862; Amsterdam’s City Archives says traders had earlier brought flowers and plants to market by boat.
The Torensluis bridge was built in 1648 beside the former Jan Roodenpoortstoren; its vaulted prison cells remained after the tower was demolished in 1829.
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Singel is easy to mistake for one more elegant canal in Amsterdam’s famous ring. Its older role was more practical: in the second half of the fifteenth century, this waterway marked the city’s edge. A wall with gates stood on the landward side. The City of Amsterdam records that the water was once called ’t Singel or Stedegracht; a later official attempt to rename it Koningsgracht did not catch on.
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