Oosterdok and Oosterdokseiland
Two key dates: 1832 & 1876
Amsterdam's identity is deeply intertwined with its historic ports like the Oosterdok, which marked its impressing historical presence on the world map. The Oosterdok is inseparable from Amsterdam, with each shaping the other's character. Evidence of the maritime heritage is scattered throughout the city. Iconic structures like the Maritime Museum and the Scheepvaarthuis stand as enduring monuments, testifying to the city's rich nautical history.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Oosterdok was a wet dock in the North-east of Amsterdam, on the banks of the IJ.
The IJ was originally an arm of the Zuiderzee, located east of Amsterdam, that extended deep west into the province of North Holland and served as the historic port of the Dutch capital. Ships arriving at the port could easily anchor on the IJ directly in front of the city.
The Ij before its canalization
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OSTELIJKE EILANDEN (EASTERN ISLANDS)
While the history of the "modern" Oosterdok starts at the beginning of the 19th century (approximately around 1830), the area had already a port function at an earlier point in history. From the 15th century onwards, Amsterdam's main port activities were shifted from the central inland port on the Damrak (next to the actual train station) to the IJ-oevers (Ij banks) at the East side of the city.
The bend that the IJ formed on the east side of the city was called "De Waal." This area, with its shallow waters, was primarily used by the emerging shipbuilding industry. Besides construction, ships could also be temporarily dry-docked here for maintenance.
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The vast terrain was characterized by canals and warehouses that served as storage facilities for a wide variety of goods. It was ideal for loading and unloading goods. Because ships were supplied with ballast, it was named Lastage. The term "Lastage" comes from Middle Dutch and means "loading or storage place."
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The bustling activity in Lastage contributed significantly to the economic growth of Amsterdam, making it a vital part of the city's maritime infrastructure.
Amsterdam around 1500, Map by J.H. Werkman
By 1650, Amsterdam's population had risen to 200,000 and more canals were still being dug. The outer ones, with their many fortifications, were designed to protect the city from invaders. Access to the city was mainly from the water of the IJ in the North, through guarded openings in a double row of posts, called De Laag, so that ships could not simply enter the city. In the guardhouses erected on tree trunks, soldiers and admiralty employees monitored the incoming and outgoing goods.
The various openings in the defensive line above the Lastage had their own name. There were, to name just a few: the Keerweers Boom, the Admiraliteits Boom, the Oostindische Companie Boom and Hannekes Boom.
The Dutch word for tree is "boom". Every evening tree trunks were driven into the openings on chains to be opened again in the morning. As these gaps were opened and closed, the "tree bell" rang.
Oostelijke Eilanden 1674, part of the later Oosterdok
During the fourth expansion of Amsterdam, in the year 1660, the Eastern islands, Kattenburg, Wittenburg and Oostenburg, were constructed. In the water next to Kattenburg,, the westernmost of the new islands, two areas were demarcated with wooden poles at the current Oosterdok. Ships could be moored there for short or long periods, as was also possible at the Laag. The eastern part of the two areas was called "'s Lands Dok", the western part "Oude Waal".
Amsterdam with the harbour area
and the IJ in the year 1649
The historical city map was published by the well-known Dutch printer and publisher Joan Blaeu (1596-1673). If you look a little more closely, you can see, on the left side, the outline of the fortifications, that were yet to be built, the so-called fourth extension. This extensive project was realised between 1662 and 1663, but not exactly as shown here on the map. The decorated arrow in a round circle at the bottom between the ships, points North. Since the map is oriented South, the eastern port area is at the bottom left, but should actually be at the top right, if the map were oriented North. Maps at that time were often drawn "upside down", as most of the arriving visitors came by sea. So they had an accurate overview of what lay ahead, while looking at the map they were holding in their hands.
THE 19TH CENTURY - THE BIRTH OR REBIRTH OF THE OOSTERDOK
During the eighteenth century, silt formation in the port grew into an increasing problem. That time was also characterised by economic decline and a loss of the dominant Dutch trading position in the world. The French occupation between 1795 and 1813 did not improve the situation of the Amsterdam port.
After the French withdrew under the rule of King Willem I, it was decided to build a canal connecting Amsterdam to the North Sea. The Noordhollandsch Kanaal was constructed across North Holland between 1819 and 1824 and connected Amsterdam to the North Sea via Den Helder in the Northwest, near the island of Texel. However, this still did not solve the increasing silting of the Amsterdam harbor. The water management engineer Jan Blanken had already drawn up a plan in 1805, which had been called "The Amsterdam Rescue". In it he advocated the construction of a dike body over the city. The entire width of the city was to form an inner harbor to prevent silting. A dike would narrow the canal so that the tides would bring it to a greater depth.
The plan was not realised at the time because of the high costs. In 1828 it was decided to implement a revised version. The Oosterdok was created by building a dike between the western tip and the northeastern tip of the Waalseiland fortifications. A similar dock was built to the west of the harbour front, the Westerdok. Both were accessible via locks. These locks were completed in 1832. The Oosterdoksluis was 15 metres wide. Part of the water surface was demarcated in the Oosterdok and designated as 's Rijks Maritiem Dok for the ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The other demarcated area, De Waal, disappeared because the dike called "Oosterdoksdijk" went right through it.
The first part of the newly built Oosterdok consisted of a several kilometer long dike across the IJ. It stretched from its western end near the Kraansluis (located on today's Prins Hendrikkade near the central station) to the Diemerzeedijk near Zeeburg in the East.
The dike was located in front of the old piers Hannekes Boom, Admiraliteits Boom, Keerweers Boom and O. I. Compagnie Boom. It enclosed the islands of Kattenburg, Wittenburg and Oostenburg, which lay north of the previous dike, known as Nieuwe Zeedijk (new sea dike). The purpose of the dike was also to protect these new areas from flooding and provide a foundation for further urban development."
Amsterdam around 1830, with the planned location of the dikes in red, in the East and West
Note that the historical map depicting the dams, is not oriented North, as is usual, but from West to East.
By constructing the Oosterdoksdam and the Oosterdoksluis, the Oosterdok formed a reliable deep harbor from 1832 on. The Oosterdoksluis provided access to the Oosterdok from the IJ. It was a double sluice. A small one, which was completed early in 1832 and a large lock for ocean-going ships, which, when finished, was opened accompanied by great festivities. The western end of the dike was removed in the late 2010s to improve the visual quality of the area.
The Oosterdok, separated from the IJ by the Oosterdoksdam with the Oosterdoksluis in 1832
THE APPEARANCE OF THE OOSTERDOKSEILAND ON THE SCENE
In the 19th century, Amsterdam experienced a great boom in trade, the Netherlands thus gaining a stronger trading position in the world. In the 1870s, the North Sea Canal with the Zuidersluis near Ijmuiden on the North Sea and the Oranjesluizen near Schellingwoude in the East were completed. This permanently cut off the IJ from the Zuiderzee in the East.
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Between 1872 and 1877, three islands were created in the IJ immediately north of the city center, which significantly reduced the size of the Oosterdok. The new central station, Amsterdam Centraal, was built on the central island, also known as the Station Island, in 1889. The railway lines ran left and right over the neighboring islands, the easternmost of which was called Oosterdokseiland.
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The railway line was laid over the former locks, making access to the dock more difficult for larger ships. The numerous railway lines on the artificial island are testament to the importance of the Oosterdokseiland as an eastern connection to and from the Amsterdam Central Station. Nevertheless, the dock retained its port function well into the 20th century.
View from the Prins Hendrikkade on the South end of the Oosterdok at the newly created Oosterdokseiland (in 1894)
A section of the existing Oosterdoksdijk was incorporated into the Oosterdokseiland.
In the year 1884 a new passage was constructed in the Oosterdoksdam, the Oosterdoksdoorgang. That way a connection between the Oosterdok and the IJ remained possible.
The Oosterdoksluizen, which had lost their function with the closure of the IJ, were largely covered by the new railway bridge. The locks remained intact from that moment until 1908, although out of service.
The railway over the Oosterdoksdoorgang
View at the Oosterdokseiland from the IJ in the North, with the Oosterdoksdoorgang in the centre (around 1900)
During the 20th century, numerous urban changes took place at the Oosterdok and the immediate surroundings. Shipbuilding on the Eastern islands had largely disappeared by the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the K.N.S.M. and N.S.M. shipping companies moved their activities away from the Oosterdok.
In 1908, the Oosterdoksluis was partially dismantled to allow larger ships to pass through. The passage was widened from 15 meters to 25 meters. Less than 10 years later, the new passage was again too narrow, even for larger seagoing vessels. Because of the railway that ran over the three artificial islands, a further expansion of the water surface was made impossible. In 1915, the Royal Navy shipyard at Kattenburg was also closed. This definitely put an end to the role of the Oosterdok as a seaport.
The location of the Oosterdok and the Oosterdokseiland on a contemporary map