Amsterdam canal system

Timeline

1. 1613–1625Old town of Amsterdam · NetherlandsSemi-ring waterways such as the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht were dug in succession; residences and warehouses were built along both banks, and flat-bottomed barges and towboats became the main means of urban freight transport.
2. 1650–1665Amsterdam canal belt · AmsterdamGoods from merchant houses such as the East India Company were transferred via the IJ River and the port into urban canal warehouses; the canals handled the distribution and transshipment of spices, textiles and colonial goods, and water transport efficiency underpinned the Republic's trade dominance.
3. 1661–1670Amsterdam · NetherlandsThe municipal authorities continuously dredged, installed locks and regulated canal shipping order; by the 1660s the canal system was highly institutionalized as urban infrastructure, supporting population growth and the finance-trade composite economy.