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49-692: The construction of the wet dock Westerdok came about by the gradual silting up of the harbor of Amsterdam. For this background and the plans to build the Westerdok, see Oosterdok . The Westerdoksdam was a 2,010 m long dyke constructed through the IJ from the west bank of the Haarlemmersluis in the Martelaarsgracht to the Spaarndammerdijk. By July 1831, this dyke around the dock gave cover to ships lying in

98-627: A bay of the North Sea resulting from a number of storms. At the end of the Middle Ages , the IJ was a long and narrow brackish bay that connected to the Zuiderzee and stretched from Amsterdam in the east to Velsen in the west. At its west end, only the natural dune ridge across the Dutch North Sea coast prevented the IJ, which grew ever larger through the centuries, from directly connecting to

147-479: A cargo railway was constructed. This railway used a bridge over the Westerdok Lock, see 1884 map. In 1869 the municipal council of Amsterdam agreed with the government proposal to construct the future Amsterdam Centraal station on an island in the IJ between Westerdok and Oosterdok. In 1869 the municipal council of Amsterdam agreed to this location. For the Westerdok, the railway plan was not so problematic as for

196-490: A deep harbor. From the above it is clear that the primary reason to construct the Amsterdam wet docks, was that their dykes would put an end to the very irregular shore line of Amsterdam at the IJ, and would keep the sediment out of the harbor. It was generally agreed that the many canals opening on the IJ, the many mooring poles, De Laag, and the many ships at anchor, were responsible for the quick accumulation of sediment before

245-580: A depth of 6.5 m below AOD in 1876 and 8.2 m in the early 1880s. The Oosterdok Lock had a depth of 6.3 m below AOD. SS Willem III , the first ship of the Netherland Line had a draft of 6.7 m. Therefore, the new ocean liners which would take over the trade to the East Indies from the sailing ships, would not unload in Oosterdok. The next phase in the development of the port of Amsterdam

294-466: A depth of slightly more than a meter. Therefore only small vessels could use the harbor. Ships had to unload at considerable distance. During a neap tide with a harsh south or south west wind, the harbor would occasionally go completely dry. The inhabitants of Amsterdam knew that in the past, vessels sailing to nearby European ports had anchored in the center of the city, at the Damrak . When efforts to remedy

343-616: A quay to unload, but transloaded goods on boats that brought these into the city via the many canals. The approaches to the harbor of Amsterdam suffered from silting up. The most serious problem were the shallows near the island of Pampus in the Zuiderzee. After the French period , King William I of the Netherlands attempted to revitalize the Dutch economy by improving land- and waterways. One of these

392-420: A wet dock would still ease transloading because the water would be calmer, and transloading would hardly be interrupted. This would still strengthen the competitive position of Amsterdam. For Amsterdam this traditional reason was not that relevant. The lack of a deep harbor was caused by silting up, not by a tidal range. In Amsterdam, the construction of a wet dock only to maintain the high tide, would not result in

441-606: Is a remnant of a northern arm of the Rhine delta . Finally, the IJ could also come from the lake Almere or Flevo . During the Roman period the IJ connected on one side with lake Flevo and the Vecht (Utrecht) and the other with the North Sea. Connection with the North Sea has subsequently disappeared, while the IJ in the Middle Ages has expanded. This is due to the emergence of the Zuiderzee , itself

490-481: Is still a Dutch Army/Navy Base. During the French period , it became less important as a navy base, and more important as the location of Rijkswerf Amsterdam . The Rijkswerf would remain the most important shipyard for construction of Dutch warships, until it was closed down in 1915. The site then continued as Marine Etablissement. Oostenburgh Island used to be home to the operations of the Amsterdam Division of

539-495: The Het 'Paleis' , the home for Navy officers. The construction of the IJtunnel also seriously damaged the appearance of the Oosterdok. At the time, there was not much noise about this loss. At about the same time, the large classification yard on Oosterdokseiland made room for a regional main post office. On Oosterdokseiland a large part of the former Koninklijke PTT Nederland office

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588-559: The Dutch East India Company . Here its gigantic warehouse Oost-Indisch Zeemagazijn had collapsed in April 1822. The terrain of its shipyard was soon after acquired by Van Vlissingen en Dudok van Heel . The ropewalk followed later. Van Vlissingen en Dudok van Heel would become the biggest private enterprise of Amsterdam. Its machine factory was continued by Werkspoor . Van Vlissingen's shipbuilding activities would be restarted by

637-567: The Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij , which was active on Conradstreet from 1894 till the mid 1920s, and then continued on the other side of the IJ. The Kattenburgervaart and Nieuwe Vaart were home to many other Amsterdam shipyards. At the Oosterdok's southern side was Rapenburg Lock. This gave access to the Entrepotdok , a vast enclosed complex of warehouses. The oldest of these warehouses dated from 1708, but when

686-463: The Amsterdam council also proposed a connection between the Nieuwe Vaart and the new harbor to the east. The North Sea Canal , which opened in 1876, would be the doom of the Oosterdok. The new canal led to the closure of the IJ on its eastern side. With regard to the tides, it gave the whole IJ the characteristics of a wet dock. Therefore the old wet docks no longer had such a decisive advantage over

735-925: The East India Man Amsterdam is part of this museum. With the Ministry of Defense abandoning most of the terrain of the Maritime Establishment, the grounds of the Rijkswerf are not partly open to visitors. In 1997 the NEMO Science Museum was built on top of the foundations of the IJtunnel. On Oostenburg are the main buildings of the former ropeworks of the East India Company and the Admiralty. These are called Lijnbaan van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie and Admiraliteitslijnbaan . On Conradstraat

784-499: The English word ea . The name consists of the digraph ij which is capitalized as IJ . Today, the IJ is divided into two parts: The IJ is connected to the North Sea to the west and the IJmeer to the east by a set of locks . There are several theories about the origins of the IJ. Perhaps it began as a stream, following a breakthrough in the dunes of Castricum . More likely, the IJ

833-542: The IJ from its western end near Kraansluis (Kraan Lock) to the Diemerdijk near Zeeburg in the east. The 1850 map (above) shows that this dyke enclosed the area of the Oosterdok, and an area to the east of about equals size, the Stads Rietlanden. The dyke was located somewhat before the old mooring points Admiraliteits Boom, Keerweeers Boom, O.I. Compagnie Boom , which came to lay inside the Oosterdok. The dyke enclosed

882-461: The IJ with regard to unloading at a quay. To the contrary, both wet docks suffered from the disadvantage that ships had to cross the railroad in order to reach them. Railroad traffic soon increased to the point that ships had to wait till the late evening to cross into the Oosterdok. Another effect of the North Sea Canal was that ships of a higher draft would reach Amsterdam. The canal would have

931-449: The Jonker and Suyver shipyards. The side of the Westerdok dyke that faced the IJ did remain important. The railways then decided to expand the central station, and to create Westerdokseiland, upon which a new classification yard would be constructed. A large part of the Westerdok was filled up with 650,000 m of sand. What was left of the Westerdok was a broad canal of 100 m width. Along

980-563: The North Sea and so making the North Holland peninsula nearly an island. By the seventeenth century, however, access to the IJ became difficult due to sand bars across its mouth, and ships becoming bigger, and it was nearly impossible for seafaring vessels to reach the city of Amsterdam. At the same time, the bay gnawed away at the surrounding farmlands , almost connecting with the Haarlemmermeer (Lake Haarlem) and seriously threatening

1029-563: The Oosterdok, because the main line lay south of the dock. The damage that the railway caused, was that the part of the dock east of a line between the Prinsengracht and the Westerdock was filled up to build the temporary Station Amsterdam Westerdok , a large railway roundhouse , and a classification yard . By the 1910s, the Westerdok was no longer significant for shipping. The only use was by small coal barges and ships that came to repair at

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1078-659: The Oosterdok. This was connected to the IJ and the Merwede Canal, now the northern part of the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal . The north eastern part of the wet dock is known by the name Dijksgracht . Here the Reederij der Drijvende Droogdokken (company for floating dry docks) opened the first wooden dry dock of Amsterdam in 1842. This was an essential facility for the maintenance of more modern ships, especially those that had copper sheathing . Soon two other wooden dry docks joined

1127-473: The Westerdok Lock became an impediment to ships that wanted to unload in Amsterdam. While the North Sea Canal would ultimately make the Westerdok obsolete, this was not the case for the Westerdoksdam. When the North Sea Canal was constructed, this dyke got some piers at which large ships could attach directly, instead of transloading to barges. This was a huge cost saver, which became even more significant when

1176-488: The Westerdok about a dozen shipyards were situated on Bickerseiland. These profited by being able to launch bigger ships. Also on Bickerseiland was the sugar refinery Java of the Amsterdamsche Stoom Suikerraffinaderij . This would get a pier which allowed direct loading and unloading from ships in the Westerdok. The refinery burned down in 1874 and was not rebuilt. A special feature of the Westerdok

1225-570: The cities of Haarlem and Amsterdam. Plans were put forth to reclaim both the Haarlemmermeer and the IJ and turn them into polders . The Haarlemmermeer was first, falling dry in 1852, and the largest part of the IJ followed suit between 1865 and 1876, with only a small lake remaining at Amsterdam that was closed off from the Zuiderzee by the Oranje locks . At the same time, the North Sea Canal

1274-506: The city. It was hoped that the dykes of the wet docks would allow the sediment to flow back towards the Zuiderzee. The concentration of the drainage of the Amstel between the docks would also make it easier to keep the final trench to Amsterdam deep enough. The government of Amsterdam resisted the changed wet dock plans. The government then started the realization of the Goudriaan Canal. This

1323-408: The complex was designated as a national warehouse for transit goods ( Algemeen Rijksentrepot ) in April 1827, many more were constructed. The close by Entrepotdok added to the attraction of Oosterdok, because ships could unload to these warehouses without having to pay import duties. These were only levied if the goods later entered the Dutch market. In 1890 a new transit dock was opened just east of

1372-529: The currents. Blanken proposed to lay a dam on the southern side of the IJ, north of the Laag. This would create a single large wet dock in front of the city. The plan was about to be put in motion when the French Empire fell in 1813. After national independence was restored, the plan was again proposed to the city in 1818. The city preferred to first undertake a costly major dredging attempt for five years. By 1828 it

1421-459: The dock. In 1874 the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway was opened, which started at the temporary Oosterdok station on Oosterdokseiland. In the same meeting that agreed on the main passenger station, the municipal council also agreed on a central station for cargo and coal. This was to be placed just east of the Oosterdok in the Stads Rietlanden. This would not be good for the Oosterdok. Therefore,

1470-430: The first. The Oosterdokseiland came into existence when it was decided to construct the future Amsterdam Centraal station on an island in the IJ between Westerdok and Oosterdok. In 1869 the municipal council of Amsterdam agreed on this location. It led to the construction of Oosterdokseiland. Most of it was made on the outside of the dyke surrounding Oosterdok, but there was also a significant part constructed inside

1519-560: The gate of the former Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij is still standing. IJ (Amsterdam) The IJ ( Dutch: [ɛi] ; sometimes shown on old maps as Y or Ye ) is a body of water , formerly a bay , in the Dutch province of North Holland . It is known for being Amsterdam 's waterfront. The name IJ is derived from the West Frisian word ie , alternatively spelled ije , meaning 'water' and cognate with

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1568-413: The islands Kattenburgh, Wittenburgh, and Oostenburgh, which lay north of the previous dyke, which was still called Nieuwe Zeedijk (new sea dyke). The western end of this dyke was until recently called Oosterdam. It was removed in the late 2010s in order to improve the visual quality of the area. The Oosterdoksluis (Oosterdok Lock) would give access to the Oosterdok from the IJ. Foundation work for

1617-518: The king agreed, stopped the Goudriaan plan, and mandated Amsterdam to execute a revised version of Blanken's 1808 plan for the wet docks. The national government would facilitate a loan to cover the cost. Construction of the Oosterdok started in May 1828. It was led by C.W.M. Klijn, director of the city maritime construction department ( Stads Waterwerken ). The first part was a 4,194 m long dyke through

1666-402: The lock started before the first stone was laid by on 11 June 1830 by Prince Willem, the later King William III . It was a double lock, the small lock was finished early. The big lock for ocean-going ships was opened with solemn festivities in 1832. The Marine Etablissement, with the prominent 's Lands Zeemagazijn , now National Maritime Museum , occupied about half of Kattenburgh Island. It

1715-578: The new quay, the street Westerdok was constructed. The current, much smaller Westerdok is home to many rather large barges that are used as houseboats . There is also a small marina. Oosterdok The Oosterdok ('Eastern Dock') is a former wet dock in Amsterdam . It was created in 1831–1832 by constructing the Oosterdoksdam and the Oosterdoksluis, forming a reliable deep port closed off from

1764-477: The problem by dredging had failed, they turned to science. In 1775 Jan van Houweningen suggested to give the shores of the IJ before the city a more regular profile, so the currents would increase, instead of being slowed by the many works present. This idea was not executed. In 1805 the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen offered a double gold medal in a contest to solve

1813-466: The problem. The contestant had to prove the causes of the silting up of the Amsterdam harbor, and propose a way to remedy this problem. Jan Blanken, the engineer who later designed the Noordhollandsch Kanaal won the contest. Blanken's idea was rather original. Instead of trying to remedy the situation by attempting to move the currents closer to the city, he proposed to bring the city closer to

1862-400: The proposed wet dock, but was far from complete. By July 1834 the dyke was almost finished, an openinghad been left to allow shipping till the Westerdok Lock was completed. The foundation of the Westerdok Lock (Westerdoksluis) were started in 1830. The first pile was driven in on 21 July 1830. Work on the foundations were delayed by weak and shifting grounds. The commemorative stone of the lock

1911-409: The ship at ebb, causing the so-called katterug (cat's spine, or cat pose). The unsuitability of the harbor meant that ships had to anchor further away. By the late 18th century the situation had become rather desperate. At that time, the navigable part of the IJ consisted of a trench of about 400 m wide and 7-12 m deep. The 'harbor' of Amsterdam was a mud bank south of this trench, with

1960-410: The tidal IJ . The harbor of Amsterdam was basically a place were ships could conveniently anchor on the IJ, immediately before the city. Here smaller ships could attach to a series of interconnected mooring poles called De Laag . Larger ships anchored at a small distance from De Laag. There were docks immediately connected to the city, but these were open to the tides. Larger ships did not attach to

2009-466: The warehouse, and then reloading on another means of transport, was advantageous because of the low cost of (steam)powered (un)loading. It enabled a ship to quickly be on its way again. In the 1960s the IJtunnel was constructed. Its approach stretches through about two-thirds of the width of the dock, cutting it in two. This led to the demolishing of part of the Maritime Establishment and Navy Dock, notably

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2058-504: Was Drydock II of the Rederij der Drijvende Droogdokken , a company that provided service by floating dry docks. The North Sea Canal was constructed between 1865 and 1876. Part of its construction was the closure of the IJ on the east side by building the Oranje Locks . It meant that the whole IJ got the same characteristics as the Westerdok wet dock. Instead of protecting a safe harbor,

2107-405: Was clear that nothing had been gained by dredging. There were two reasons to create the Amsterdam wet docks. The first was the traditional reason to construct a wet dock, i.e. to offer a safe and deep mooring place by maintaining the high tide level inside the wet dock. This could also enable large ships to unload directly to a quay, but this probably did not happen in the Oosterdok. Nevertheless,

2156-412: Was constructed in the former IJ basin to provide Amsterdam with access to the sea again and revive its ailing port . It cut through the isthmus to connect to the North Sea near the town of Velsen; a new port , IJmuiden ("IJ's mouth") was built at its west end. The east end of the IJ polders near Amsterdam was given over to industry, and a large new seaport area was constructed. The Buiten-IJ hosted

2205-732: Was demolished in 2005. A tower that was preserved at first would house the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from 2003 to 2010. In 2007 the Amsterdam Public Library opened on Oosterdokseiland. In 2008 it was joined by the Conservatorium van Amsterdam The remaining tower of the PTT was demolished in 2010. The building's Lands Zeemagazijn (National Sea Arsenal) houses the National Maritime Museum since 1973. The replica of

2254-494: Was dug from 1826 to 1828 to circumvent the Pampus shallows, but not completed. The 1850 map shows the outline of this canal through Marken Island, and then through Waterland towards the IJ. In the end the city ceased to resist, because the Goudriaan plan also included the closure of the IJ on the Zuiderzee side. The city government then proposed to the king that the plan for the wet docks should be executed instead. On 10 March 1828

2303-471: Was set on 19 September 1832. The lock was first used on 19 September 1834, opening the Westerdok. The Westerdok was a wet dock. It meant that inside the area closed off by the Westerdok Lock, the water level remained more or less constant. I.e. it was not influenced by the tides. The dock was also dredged out, so the largest Dutch ships could use it. The wet dock was very beneficial for shipping, because ships could much easier transload to boats and barges. On

2352-482: Was the Noordhollandsch Kanaal , which was dug from Amsterdam to Nieuwediep ( Den Helder ) between 1820 and 1824. The Amsterdam harbor gradually became unsuitable for big ships. Ships also suffered damage from anchoring before Amsterdam. This was caused by the bow and stern cutting into soft clay below the keel at ebb. The center of the ship would cut less deeply into the underground, and therefore supported

2401-480: Was the Oostelijke Handelskade , a quay constructed on the northern side of the Oosterdok dyke. From the start, this was intended for big ships that would attach directly to the quay. At the quay, modern (steam or hydraulic) cranes would quickly unload the ship into warehouses without transloading. Later, the cargo could be re-loaded onto a train, wagon or into smaller ships. This procedure of first unloading to

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