EyeAmsterdam.com: Eye (on) Amsterdam

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The Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam is dominated by De Waag, the former Sint Antoniespoort (St. Anthony’s Gate), which used to be part of the Medieval defense wall built in 1481.

The Waag lost its defensive function in the early 17th century, when the wall was demolished.

The building was subsequently converted into a weighing house (Waag = weighing scales) meant to take the pressure off of the weighing house at Dam Square, which has become too small for the flow of goods coming into the city.

Small merchant ships and other vessels — which ferried goods from larger boats anchored in the nearby harbor — would sail up de Geldersekade.

Once unloaded the goods were weighed and then sold at the ‘new market’ = nieuwe markt, which explains the name of the square: Nieuwmarkt.

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Every friday there is a second-hand book market at Spui in Amsterdam.

Most of the books are in Dutch, but there is a fair amount of English material, as well as some French, German, and whatnot.

While you can pick up some light reading, overall the market has an antiquarian character.

It’s a great place to pick up some wonderful books — and to people-watch at leisure.

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While popular with the tourists, in recent years Amsterdam’s floating flowermarket has become somewhat controversial. Tourists don’t buy fresh flowers, so most of the market’s merchants carry items tourists do buy: anything from flower bulbs to a plethora of typical souvenirs. Read the rest of this entry »