Amsterdam’s Canal District is a unique urban planning concept and an architectural masterpiece, as well as a unique physical expression of the city’s economic, political and cultural development during the Golden Age. At this time, Amsterdam was the ‘warehouse of the world’, where every conceivable product from around the globe was traded. It was also an international centre for innovation in European science and philosophy. Furthermore, the clear, strong design of the planning concept continues to provide a flexible framework for new developments to this day. The apparently rigid seventeenth-century structure now accommodates a clearly readable, layered pattern of structures created by a process of organic development, ensuring that the area’s seventeenth-century character and essence is preserved.

 

The Amsterdam Canal District was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in the summer of 2010. The placement on this list signifies international recognition of the unique value of the Canal District, and furthermore, it will encourage initiatives towards and sustainable investment in the conservation of the district.