From the water
The tower was originally part of the Regulierspoort, one of the main gates in Amsterdam's medieval city wall. The gate was built in 1480 and consisted of two towers and a guard house. After the gate went up in flames in a fire in 1618, only the guard house and part of the western tower remained standing. The tower was then rebuilt in Amsterdam Renaissance style in 1620. The name of the tower refers to the fact that the guard house beside it was used to mint coins in the seventeenth century.
The story behind it
The Mint Tower was part of the medieval Regulierspoort city gate. After a fire in 1618, Hendrick de Keyser added the elegant spire that still dominates the Muntplein today.
It got its name in 1672, when Amsterdam temporarily minted its own coins here during the French invasion. Its carillon still plays every fifteen minutes, right next to the floating Flower Market.
On your cruise
This is stop 23 of 23 on the Friendship route. Before this you passed The Blue Bridge. 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.
