Grachtengordel
The Grachtengordel ([ɣrɑxtə(ŋ)ˈɣɔrdəl], "canal belt (girdle);" known in English as the Canal District) is a neighborhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands located in the Centrum district. The seventeenth-century canals of Amsterdam, located in the center of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010. The Amsterdam Canal District consists of the area around the city's four main canals: the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. From the Brouwersgracht, the canals are generally parallel with one another, leading gradually southeast into the Amstel river.
Amsterdam Canal District
Grachtengordel Amsterdam | |
|---|---|
World Heritage Site | |
Reguliersgracht, Amsterdam-Centrum | |
Location of the Grachtengordel (green) in Amsterdam | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Municipality | Amsterdam |
| Borough | Centrum |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv) |
| Reference | 1349 |
| Inscription | 2010 (34th Session) |
| Area | 198.2 ha (490 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 481.7 ha (1,190 acres) |
Many of the canal houses in the Amsterdam Canal District are from the Dutch Golden Age, 17th century. Many of these buildings, however, underwent restoration or reconstruction in various centuries, meaning that these building display many different architectural styles and facades.