| am and water are closely linked, as they have been | | | | of houseboats and barges, often beautifully painted, |
| for centuries. It was specifically because of all that | | | | show that not a single square meter is wasted. |
| water from the River Amstel and IJ and the Zuiderzee | | | | Anyone walking along the canals at night might be |
| that the first inhabitants settled here early in the | | | | lucky enough to see a less known feature of |
| thirteenth century. | | | | Amsterdam’s relationship with water. Since time |
| Water was also the main reason of | | | | immemorial, about 40 sluices in the centre have been |
| Amsterdam’s wealth in the 17th century, when it | | | | closed between 7 and 8.30 every night so the water in |
| became the most powerful trading city in the world. | | | | the canals can be refreshed. This work is still mainly |
| The canals in the centre, with their beautiful | | | | done by hand. One site to see this is at the sluices in |
| merchant’s houses from the Golden Age, are | | | | the River Amstel by Carré Theatre, or at the |
| what made Amsterdam really famous. The richly | | | | Haarlem Sluice in the Singel. Two men turn an |
| ornamented gables from this period are still to be | | | | enormous wooden wheel to close the sluice gates. |
| admired. The finest facades and all the bridges over | | | | When their work is finished, an enormous pumping |
| the canals are illuminated at night. | | | | station on the artificial island Zeeburg to the East of |
| Amsterdam’s canals offer a lively spectacle the | | | | the city is started up. In one night, the station pumps |
| whole year round, thanks to the countless boats that | | | | about 600,000 cubic meters of water from the |
| tour around the whole day and most of the night. As a | | | | IJsselmeer into Amsterdam’s canals. To allow |
| visitor, one can also witness exciting events on the | | | | the water to flow through rapidly, between two and |
| water, from canal concerts to Chinese dragon boat | | | | four sluices on the West side of the city are left open. |
| races and rowing regattas. | | | | The water from the canals flows through these sluices |
| Thanks to this all, Amsterdammers do live the year | | | | into the River IJ (the section of the harbor between the |
| round with their favorite element Water. The intimate | | | | IJsselmeer and the North-Sea Canal) to find its way to |
| relationship between Amsterdam and the water is no | | | | the sea via the North-Sea Canal. So about every |
| longer so dramatic, but can still be seen and felt every | | | | three nights, the whole contents of the canals are |
| day. That is clear to every visitor within half an hour. | | | | refreshed. |
| One only has to take a stroll through the city, and | | | | Draining the canals takes place seven days a week, |
| before one knows it one has crossed a dozen | | | | 52 weeks in the year. It is only occasionally stopped in |
| picturesque arched bridges over the canals. One must | | | | the winter, when the water freezes over. After about |
| have seen tour boats and canal bikes pass by, and | | | | three days of severe frost the layer of ice is thick |
| may even be a couple of paddling canoeists. Hundreds | | | | enough for the skaters. |