Montelbaanstoren

The tower on a painting by Abraham Storck from 1682

Montelbaanstoren at the Oude Schans

Montelbaanstoren - known as Mont Albans tooren bij de oude Schans in 1783

Montelbaanstoren is a historic tower in Amsterdam . It was built in 1516 on the Oude Schans, which is also known as the Montelbaansgracht , and in the 16th century, as part of the medieval city ​​wall, initially served as a guard tower over the port facilities and the Lastage commercial district , after it was set on fire several times by the Geldernschen .

From 1606 the tower was no longer used for its original purpose and was given a wooden spire designed by the architect Hendrick de Keyser , including a clock with a striking mechanism . Since then, the tower has been 48 meters high.

In the vernacular , he is nicknamed Malle Jaap ( "Stupid Jaap"), resulting from the inaccuracy of the clock and its breakdown in the 17th century. Since the tower was under the authority of the city authorities to regulate the water level in the canals from 1878 to 2006 , it was not open to the public. The tower has been the seat of the Secret Garden Foundation since 2010 .

The Dutch painter Rembrandt lived near the tower for a long time and drew it several times without its top.

Web links and sources

Commons : Montelbaanstoren  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 22 ′ 19 ″  N , 4 ° 54 ′ 20 ″  E