From the water
The original tower was built in 1516 as part of the walls of Amsterdam, for the purpose of defending the city and the harbour. The top half, designed by Hendrick de Keyser, was extended to its current decorative form in 1606. There is a legend that the city hired a man named Jack to ring the bell every thirty minutes, so everyone would know the time, and also to check if unexpected ships were coming, or if there was a fire. Jack was good at the beginning, but then he became an alcoholic and started to ring the bell whenever he felt like it. So he could go without ringing for two days, and then ring non stop for hours. Almost five hundred years have passed, but we still call this tower Crazy Jack's Tower.
The story behind it
The Montelbaanstoren was built in 1516 as a defence tower. In 1606 Hendrick de Keyser added the elegant upper section, giving it the slender silhouette that Rembrandt captured in his drawings.
Locals nicknamed it “Mal Jaap”, Crazy Jack, because its bells had a habit of ringing whenever they pleased. The tower once leaned so much that it had to be pulled upright with ropes.
On your cruise
This is stop 10 of 23 on the Friendship route. Before this you passed The National Maritime Museum, and the boat continues towards De Sluyswacht. Your skipper will point it out as you pass — keep your camera ready, because from the water you see details that are easily missed from the street.
Want to see it in person? All our cruises follow the heart of this route, and with a private cruise you can even ask your skipper to linger a little longer at your favourite spots.
