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17-498: The barrier consists of two vertical lift gates, 49.3 metres (162 ft) and 98 metres (322 ft) in length. The gates have a height of 3 metres (9.8 ft) above NAP when closed. The waterlevel at this location can become higher, but in order to prevent flooding of the Europoort -area the gates were designed to allow the water to overtop the gates in extreme situations. The amount of water would be too small to cause any problems in

34-662: A grand café as well as an underground public parking. Next to the Stopera is the Joods Verzetsmonument, a 1988 monument to the Jewish victims of World War II . A remembrance of the Kristallnacht is held at the monument every year. The construction of the Stopera was at least 60 years in the making. As early as 1915, discussions were held about building a new opera house as well as a new city hall. Various sites were considered for

51-472: A competition in 1967 for a new design. The council selected a design by Viennese architect Wilhelm Holzbauer . However, plans for the new city hall were delayed again by budget constraints, as were the opera house plans. In 1979, it was proposed that the city hall and opera house should be combined into one complex. The opera and the Dutch National Ballet would have a shared performance space. In 1980

68-471: A way came up with the idea after he expanded the sea dike after a flood in Amsterdam in 1675. Of course a dike should be storm-resistant to protect a city against flooding, and in this case a margin of "9 feet and 5 inches" (2.67 m - margin is defined in Amsterdam feet) was deemed enough to cope with rising water. So he measured the water level of the adjacent sea arm, Het IJ , and compared it with

85-627: Is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe . Originally created for use in the Netherlands , its height was used by Prussia in 1879 for defining Normalnull , and in 1955 by other European countries. In the 1990s, it was used as the reference level for the United European leveling Network (UELN) which in turn led to the European Vertical Reference System (EVRS). Mayor Johannes Hudde of Amsterdam in

102-530: Is a building complex in Amsterdam , Netherlands , housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet (formerly Het Muziektheater), the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera , Dutch National Ballet and Holland Symfonia . The building was designed by Wilhelm Holzbauer and Cees Dam . The name is an abbreviation of the protest slogan "Stop

119-544: The Dam square in Amsterdam. The brass benchmark in the Amsterdam Stopera (combined city hall and opera house), which is a tourist attraction, is no longer used as a reference point. 52°22′23″N 4°53′34″E  /  52.37306°N 4.89278°E  / 52.37306; 4.89278 Stopera 52°22′02″N 4°54′06″E  /  52.36722°N 4.90167°E  / 52.36722; 4.90167 The Stopera

136-610: The Europoortkering , a system of levees in addition to the two flood barriers. The barrier was built with the expectation to close once per five to ten years. The decision-making algorithm that sequences storm surge-triggered events in the Maeslantkering is run entirely by computer. On 8 November 2007 a storm from the north-west hit the Dutch coast. A storm surge, high enough to start the barrier's closing procedure, occurred. The barrier

153-435: The Amsterdam city council approved the new design by Cees Dam and Wilhelm Holzbauer. Approval from the provincial and national governments followed in 1981. The Stopera was a controversial project that met with heavy protests, particularly from the local counterculture and leftwing groups like the squatter movement and Provo movement, leading to riots when construction began in 1982. The project went seriously over budget and

170-649: The Opera" and not a portmanteau of "st"adhuis (Dutch: " city hall ") and "opera" as is often claimed. Because the word 'Stopera' was a name for the protests against the building, the theater has never used this name in its communication. The Stopera is located in the center of Amsterdam at a bend of the Amstel River between Waterlooplein Square and the Zwanenburgwal Canal, on a plot of land called Vlooienburg , which

187-455: The datum for first-order levelling. The relatively constant water level in the canals of Amsterdam, called Amsterdams Peil ("Amsterdam level", AP), was equal to the level at summer flood at sea in the sea-inlet, which changes throughout the year. AP was carried over to other areas in the Netherlands in 1860, to replace locally used levels. In this operation, an error was introduced which

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204-460: The new city hall, until they finally chose an expansive area of the Jewish district which had been largely abandoned during the late 1940s as its occupants were deported to concentration camps. The Amsterdam city council established a commission in 1955 to create a design with the architectural firm of Berghoef and Vegter. After almost ten years, the council rejected their final proposal in 1964 and held

221-530: The protected area but it does limit the surgelevel in the unprotected areas. In the raised position the bottom of the gates is at 14 metres (46 ft) above NAP, slightly higher than the Hartelbrug ( nl ) next to the barrier. The barrier is equipped with a construction to fend off floating debris, which could damage the gates. The Hartelkering was constructed at the same time as the Maeslantkering as part of

238-504: The water level in the canals within the city itself. He found that the water level at an average summer flood in the sea arm (when the water level reaches its maximum, not counting storms) was about the same as the level on the other side of the sea-dike, plus the margin of 9 feet and 5 inches. In 1850, the datum was used at several places in Belgium , and in 1874 the German government adopted

255-527: Was closed due to a storm surge for the first time since its construction. As the Oosterscheldekering and Maeslantkering storm surge barriers were also closed, the entire Dutch coast was protected against flooding for the first time since 1976. The closing procedure of the hartelkering started at 23.10h. The reopening took place on 9 November at 19.25h. Normaal Amsterdams Peil Amsterdam Ordnance Datum or Normaal Amsterdams Peil ( NAP )

272-524: Was corrected (normalised) between 1885 and 1894, resulting in the Normaal Amsterdams Peil . Originally the zero level of NAP was the average summer flood water level in the IJ just north of the centre of Amsterdam (which was at the time, in 1684, the main shipping area, then still connected with the open sea). Currently it is physically realised by a brass benchmark on a 22-metre (72 ft) pile below

289-487: Was reclaimed in the early 17th century. The opera house building is shaped like a massive block, with a curved front facing the Amstel river. Its facade is covered in a red-orange brick and corrugated metal panels. The curved face of the theatre is faced with white marble punctuated by large windows that provide panoramic views of the river from the curved interior foyers and multi-level terraces. The building complex also includes

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