In the 19th century, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa led to a revival of Amsterdam's diamond industry and the Jewish elite began to move into the Plantage (Planta tion), where they built imposing town villas. Until then the Plantage had been a district of parks and gardens east of the Jewish quarter and north of the 'new' canals.
In the 18th century, wealthy residents rented parcels of land here to use as gardens, and the area developed into a weekend getaway with tea houses, variety theatres and other establishments where the upper class relaxed and enjoyed themselves in green surroundings.
The University of Amsterdam's Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Garden; Ir 625 84 11),
Plantage Middenlaan 2A, was established in 1638 as a herb garden for the city's doctors and moved to this south west corner of the Plantage in 1682. It became a repository for tropical seeds and plants (ornamental or otherwise) brought to Amsterdam by the West and East India Companies' ships. Commercially exploitable plants such as coffee, pineapple, cinnamon and oil palm were distributed from here throughout the world. The herb garden itself, the so called Hortus Medicus, won world renown for its research into cures for tropical diseases.
The garden is a must see for anyone with an interest in botany. The wonderful mixture of colonial and modern structures includes the restored, octagonal seed house; a hyper modern, three climate glasshouse (1993) with subtropical, tropical and desert plants; a monumental palm house with a 400 year old cycad, the world's oldest plant in a pot (it blossomed in 1999, a rare event); an orangery with a very pleasant terrace; and of course the Hortus Medicus, the medicinal herb garden that attracts students from around the globe. The garden is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm, weekends from I I am, in winter to 4 pm. Admission costs 177.50 (children f4.50) l guided tours on Sunday at 2 pm cost fl.
The complex of buildings in front of the garden includes the Association for Nature & Environmental Education (it 622 81 15), Plantage Middenlaan 2C, which organises guided walks and other educational activities; and the Nature & Environmental Education Centre (Ph: 622 54 04), Plantage Middenlaan 2E, an information centre for environmental and nature education.
Several buildings in the area serve as reminders of its Jewish past. The Nationaal Vakbondsmuseum (National Trade Union Museum; Ir 624 11 66) at Henri Polaklaan 9 used to house the powerful General Netherlands Diamond Workers' Union, one of the pioneers of the Dutch Labour movement under the chairmanship of Henri Polak. The displays won't be of great interest to foreigners but the building itself is definitely worth a look. The architect HP Berlage designed it as the union's headquarters in 1900
and it soon became known as the 'Burcht van Berlage', Berlage's Fortress a play on Beurs van Berlage, the bourse along Damrak by the same architect.
Berlage considered it his most successful work and it's easy to see why, from the diamond shaped pinnacle and the magnificent hall with its brick arches and decorated staircase, to the murals, ceramics and leadlight windows by famous artists of the day. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday
from 11 am to 5 pm, Sunday from I pm, but is closed Saturday and on public holidays; admission costs f5 (f3 with discounts and for union members).
Around the comer, at Plantage Kerklaan 61A, is the Verzetsmuseum (Resistance Museum; (Ph: 620 25 35), which provides an excellent insight into the difficulties faced by those who fought the German occupation from within. Labels in Dutch and English help with the exhibits, many of them interactive, that explain such issues as active and passive resistance, how the illegal press operated, how 300,000 people were kept in hiding, and how such activities were funded (a less glamorous but vital detail). The museum shows in no uncertain terms how much courage it takes to actively resist an adversary so ruthless that you can't trust neighbours, friends or even family. It's open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, weekends from noon, and costs f8 (f4 with discounts). There's also a library.
Across the road, at Plantage Kerklaan 38 40, is the entrance to Artis zoo (Map 5; 'a 523 34 00). The zoo was founded by an association called Natura Artis Magistra (Latin for 'Nature is the Master of Art') back in 1838, which makes it the oldest zoo on the European continent. Famous biologists have studied and worked here among the rich collection of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, trees and plants. Unfortunately some of the cramped enclosures hardly seem to have progressed since the 19th century, but the zoo's layout with ponds, statues and winding pathways through lush surroundings (remnants of some of the former Plantage gardens) is very pleasant. Concerts and art exhibitions
are also held here to observe the original aim of the association, which was to link nature and art.
A highlight of the zoo is the fascinating aquarium, the oldest in the country (1882) with some 2000 fish; its many exhibits include a cross section of an Amsterdam canal. There's also a planetarium (Dutch commentary with a summary in English), and zoological and geological museums. The zoo is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm and entry costs f25 (children aged between 4 and I I pay fI 7.50, free for toddlers). The fee includes the museums and the hourly shows at the planetarium. Lower prices are charged in September.
The Hollandsche Schouwburg (Holland Theatre; (Ph: 626 99 45) at Plantage Middenlaan 24 played a tragic role during WWII. Originally it was the house of the director of Artis zoo across the road; it became the Artis Schouwburg in 1892 and was soon one of the centres of Dutch theatrical life. In WWII, however, the Germans turned it into a theatre by and for Jews, and from 1942 they made it a detention centre for Jews awaiting deportation. Some 60,000 of them passed through here on their way to Westerbork transit camp in the east of the country and from there to the death camps.
After the war no one felt like reviving the theatre. In 1961 it was demolished except for the facade and the area immediately behind it. A I 0m high pylon in the former auditorium commemorates the country's Jews who were killed by the Germans. There's a memorial room and an exhibition room with videos and documents that display the building's tragic history. It's open daily from I I am to 4 pm and admission is free.
Diagonally across the road, at Plantage Middenlaan 33, is the brightly coloured Moederhuis (Mothers' House), a refuge for young, single women awaiting childbirth. It was completed in 1981 to a design by Aldo van Eyck and incorporates the original l9th century building to the right.
East of the Plantage
At the eastern end of Plantage Middenlaan, past the Artis aquarium and across the canal,
is Alexanderplein with the Muiderpoort (Map 7), a grim, Doric city gate dating from 1771. Just north east of here, along Sarphatistraat, is the 250m facade of the Oranje Nassau Kazerne, barracks built to house the French garrison but only finished in 1814, a year after the French left. They've now been converted to homes, offices and studios. The former drill yard along Singelgracht accommodates a remarkable row of six modem apartment blocks, each designed by an architect from a different country (from the Muiderpoort end: Japan, Greece, France, USA, Denmark, UK).
Just north of here, on Funenkade, stands an l8th century grain mill known as De Gooyer, the sole survivor of five windmills that once stood in this part of the city. Originally it stood south west of here but was moved to its current spot in 1814 when the Oranje Nassau barracks stopped the wind. In 1985 the former public baths alongside, at Funenkade 7, were converted into Bierbrouwerij 't IJ (Ph: 622 83 25), a small brewery producing 10 different beers, some seasonal, that can be tasted in the windmill Wednesday to Sunday from 3 to 7.45 pm. There's a tour of the brewery on Fridays at 4 pm.
North East of the Plantage
When the Plantage was constructed in the 1680s, the original sea dyke was moved north to what are now the Hoogte Kadijk and Laagte Kadijk (the 'high section' and 'low section' of the 'quay dyke'). The stretch of water between the Plantage and this new sea dyke is the Entrepotdok, established in the 1820s as a storage zone for goods in transit. The 500m long row of warehouses, once the largest storage depot in Europe, has been converted into desirable apartments and studios.
On the outer side of the dyke, at Hoogte Kadijk 147, is Museumwerf 't Kromhout, an 18th century wharf that still repairs boats in its western hall. The eastern hall is now a museum devoted to shipbuilding and the early marine engines that were designed and built here. Anyone with an interest in marine engineering will
love the place; others will probably want to move on. It's open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and costs f3.50.
