Beyond the Dam, the Damrak becomes the Rokin (a corruption of rak in, 'inner reach'), most of which was filled in the 19th century. It is considerably more upmarket than the Damrak, with office buildings (the modern Options Exchange at No 61), prestigious shops (the wood panelled tobacconist Hajenius at No 92) and art dealers (Sotheby Mak van Waay at No 102 probably moved by the time you read this).
A column on the pavement at Wijde Kapelsteeg commemorates the Miracle of Amsterdam that made the city a place of pilgrimage in medieval times (see Early Trade in the History section of the Facts about Amsterdam chapter). The chapel built on the spot where the miracle of the incombustible Host took place has been demolished, but it occupied this small block between Wijde and Enge Kapelsteeg.
At Grimburgwal, where the water begins again, the bank opposite the Rokin is called Oude Turfmarkt. Near the Grimburgwal
comer, at Oude Turfmarkt 127, is the University of Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum (Ph: 525 25 56), with the world's richest university collection of archaeological material. It's not in the same league as the country's largest collection of antiquities in Leiden, let alone the British Museum or the Louvre, but the exhibits (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Roman and Greek, among others) are far less overwhelming and pro vide a good insight into daily life in ancient times. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, weekends from I pm; entry costs f9.50 (f7 for students and seniors). The museum's Web site is www .Uba.uva.nl/apm.
The Rokin terminates at Muntplein, a busy intersection dominated by the Munttoren (Mint Tower). This was part of the I 5th century Regulierspoort, a city gate that burned down in 1619. On what was left of the gate, the architect and tower specialist Hendrick de Keyser built the tower that received its current name in 1672 73, when the French occupied much of the republic and the national mint was transferred here from Dordrecht for safekeeping.
