Spui occupies the line of an old sluice channel that marked Amsterdam’s southern edge around 1425. Filled between 1867 and 1882, the waterway became a tram junction and later a stage for Provo gatherings around Het Lieverdje.
Quick facts
Spui was a sluice and marked the city’s southern boundary around 1425.
The waterway was filled between 1867 and 1882.
The square became a site for Provo happenings around Het Lieverdje in the 1960s.
Get directions to Spui. Confirm the visitor entrance and current access with the venue before travelling.
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Guide
Spui is a square-shaped street in Amsterdam’s old centre, but its name points to an earlier job: controlling water. A *spui* was a sluice for releasing water from within the city while holding water outside. The channel ran from the Rokin to the Singel and marked Amsterdam’s southern edge around 1425, before the city’s boundary moved outward. The present square is therefore both a public space and a trace of the city’s former hydraulic and defensive line.
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