Munttoren
Why is it significant?
Stand on the corner of Muntplein, out of the way of the trams, and look up at the tower: a sturdy brick base, then a graceful spire with clock faces and open galleries, light as lace. Two completely different centuries are stacked on top of each other here. The heavy base is medieval.
Key Facts
| Place | Munttoren |
|---|---|
| Address | Muntplein, 1012 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Geo Coordinates | 52.36710, 4.89320 |
| Part of Walk | Rembrandt's Amsterdam: The Night Watch, the Syndics & the Amstel |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand on the corner of Muntplein, out of the way of the trams, and look up at the tower: a sturdy brick base, then a graceful spire with clock faces and open galleries, light as lace. Two completely different centuries are stacked on top of each other here.
The heavy base is medieval. It was part of the Regulierspoort, one of the gates in the city wall of the late fifteenth century, when this spot marked the edge of Amsterdam. In 1618 a fire destroyed the gate, but the lower part of the tower survived. The city then asked its star architect, Hendrick de Keyser, to give it a new crown, and his elegant spire went up around 1619 and 1620. Remember that name, De Keyser. You will meet his work again before this walk is over.
So why the Mint Tower? In 1672, the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, England and the prince-bishops of Münster and Cologne, all at once. The Dutch still call it the Rampjaar, the disaster year: the people were desperate, the government was in chaos, and enemy armies were deep inside the country. Silver could no longer safely reach the regular mints, so for a short time coins were struck right here, in the guardhouse beside the tower. The emergency lasted only months, but the name has stuck for three and a half centuries.
Listen for the carillon. Its bells were cast by the Hemony brothers, the most celebrated bell founders of the seventeenth century, who made tuned carillons for towers all over the Low Countries. When they ring out over the traffic, you are hearing a sound that Rembrandt's Amsterdam knew well.
This junction is where the Singel meets the Amstel, the river whose dam gave Amsterdam its name. Walk east along Nieuwe Doelenstraat, beside the water, towards a medieval brick tower tucked into the side of a hotel. That is where the most famous painting in the Netherlands was first hung.