Many people know that canals are an important part of Amsterdam, but what environmental factors shaped it into the world-class city that it is today? Let's learn more about the relationship between Amsterdam and the water that it is built upon.
The Netherlands is special because of how the Dutch worked to create a thriving country in one of the most unpromising environments. The name Amsterdam literally comes from the old Dutch words “Aame Stelle Redamme,” meaning “Dam in a watery area.” The area where Amsterdam stands was originally swampy marshland. The ground was very soft and watery, and it was almost impossible to build buildings or plant food to grow. So, the townspeople who lived there built a dam (a barrier to hold back water) on what was eventually called the Amstel river. This helped the land to dry up and allowed people to start settling there. The Amstel river today is the only natural water in Amsterdam; everything else is a human-made canal. My apartment is right by the Amstel river, and I love to bike alongside it when I’m going into the city. Building a city on a swamp may seem impressive enough, but the Dutch didn’t stop there!
