Amsterdam in the 17th Century

Timeline

1. 1651–1655Amsterdam canal ring · AmsterdamIn the mid-17th century Amsterdam advanced the fourth phase of its grand urban expansion, extending the canal semi-ring anchored by Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht further outward; many new warehouses, burgher residences, and commercial facilities were built, and the city's spatial scale became roughly four times that of 1600.
2. 1655Dam Square, Amsterdam · AmsterdamThe new Amsterdam Town Hall, designed by architect Jacob van Campen, officially opened in 1655. This grand classical building was constructed on the basis of the Dutch East India Company's trading wealth, becoming a material symbol of the city's commercial-republican spirit and praised by contemporaries as the "eighth wonder of the world."
3. 1652–1656Port of Amsterdam · AmsterdamDuring the First Anglo-Dutch War, the British naval blockade severely affected Amsterdam's Baltic grain import routes and grain prices rose in the city. After the peace treaty of 1654, port trade recovered rapidly, and the annual number of ships calling at Amsterdam returned to prewar levels around 1656 and continued to grow.
4. 1653–1660The Hague · NetherlandsIn 1653 Johan de Witt became Grand Pensionary of the Dutch Republic; his pro-commerce, anti-Orangist governing line profoundly influenced Amsterdam's city policies. He strongly supported the VOC and naval expansion, and provided institutional guarantees for the city's continued prosperity through taxation and bond systems.