South of Dam Square is Kalverstraat, the extension of Nieuwendijk. This was one of the original dykes along the Amstel together with Nieuwendijk, Warmoesstraat and Nes which makes it one of the oldest streets in the city. The name (Calves Street) presumably refers to the cattle that were led to market on Dam Square. (in the 15th century there was a cattle market in the southern section of Kalverstraat beyond Spui Square but the name is older.)
Like Nieuwendijk, pedestrianised Kalverstraat has traditionally been a shopping street, albeit a more upmarket one that's well worth visiting on weekdays (it's too busy on Saturdays and not much better on Sundays). The southern tip between Kalverstraat and Singel near Mumplein has been transformed into a shopping complex called the Kalvertoren (Kalver Tower); it's worth visiting the snack bar at the top of the tower for the 360' rooftop view enjoyed by pigeons, though not for the food (better to use the Vroom & Dreesmann food court downstairs).
South along Kalverstraat from Dam Square, about two thirds of the way to Spui Square, is a gateway to the right at No 92 that leads to the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (on the opposite side of Kalverstraat used to be the chapel commemorating the Miracle of Amsterdam). This is a surprisingly interesting museum with attractive displays about the history of the city, housed in the former civic orphanage that
existed here till 1960. The restaurant (free entry) serves delicious pancakes. The museum (Ph: 523 18 22) is open weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm, weekends from I I am, and admission is fl I (various discounts). Ask for the English language booklet. The Web site www.ahm.nl has details.
If you want to give this a miss, it's still worth walking into the courtyard (note the cupboards in which the orphans stored their possessions) and from there to the Begijnhof through the Civic Guard Gallery (free, open same hours as the museum). The huge group portraits of civic guards displayed here will help you appreciate Rembrandt's ground breaking interpretation of the genre in The Nightwatch, which is displayed in the Rijksmuseum. The gallery used to be a ditch separating the boys' and girls' sections of the orphanage.
