From the water
This canal is named after the Prince of Orange. It is the fourth of the four main canals belonging to the canal belt, and it is three point two kilometres long. Construction started in 1612 on the initiative of Mayor Frans Hendricks. Every year we celebrate Pride Amsterdam here, the free spirit of Amsterdam, where everyone can be themselves and feel respected and included. Here you also see many examples of houseboats. Between the fifties and the seventies there was a lot of work in Amsterdam but a lack of housing, especially after the Second World War. The government found a solution and let people live on old cargo ships, which over time were transformed into floating houses. In the beginning this cheap way of living attracted a lot of hippies, and since the boats were not connected to any system at that time, people started throwing all their rubbish into the canals and it became really messy. At that point the government decided to give out two thousand five hundred permits for such houses and connected them to all systems, so now houseboats function just like normal houses: gas, electricity, sewerage, a street name and a house number. Nowadays it has become one of the most expensive ways of living. The barges are less expensive than a traditional house, but more expensive to maintain. Every three or four years the owners must inspect their boathouses at the nearest shipyard, which normally takes up to one week. And most of the boats have no engine inside, because people take it out to create more space for living.
The story behind it
The Prinsengracht, named after William of Orange, is the longest of the main canals and the liveliest: here you find houseboats, terraces and warehouses alongside the canal houses.
Along this canal stands the Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk, whose tower is the tallest in the old city. Every summer the Prinsengracht hosts the famous canal concert, played from a pontoon on the water.
On your cruise
This is stop 18 of 23 on the Friendship route. Before this you passed Amstel Church, and the boat continues towards The Royal Theatre Carré. 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.
