Montelbaanstoren
The ancient watchtower over the Lastage
When you have the opportunity to look at Amsterdam from a higher vantage point, like a rooftop, you will notice lots of towers stretching their long "necks" in the air. One of these "toren", which means "tower" in Dutch, dominates the landscape in the Northeast, around the Oosterdok, the historic Montelbaanstoren. Not to be confused with the Zuiderkerk tower, not far from the Nieuwmarkt, which can also be seen from an elevated point at the Oosterdok.
Built in 1516 at the corner of the Waalseilandgracht and the Oudeschans (also known as Montelbaansgracht), it was forming part of the effort to protect the city from attacks. The excavated earth of the newly created canals there, was used in the construction of the ramparts, therefore the name "Oudeschans", which means "old entrenchment".
In this system, the Montelbaanstoren served as a watchtower over the port facilities at the Lastage, an important strategic and commercial district in the 16th century. As it was lying outside the city walls at that time, defense lines were crucial. During the "Gelderse oorlogen" (Guelders wars) in the 16th century, the area had been ravaged several times by fires.
The Montelbaanstoren, past and present, with the Oosterdok in the background.
According to a tale, the strange name of the tower comes from the Spanish Duke of Alba, who had the intention to build a castle near the tower. He wanted to give it the name "Monte Albano", but the project was never realised. But this story is far from being proven. On historical prints different names like "Monte-Albaens-tooren", "Monkelbaenstoren", or "Montalbaanstoren" were used, until it finally became Montelbaanstoren.
From 1606 on, the tower lost its strategic importance and a brick layer with a wooden spire, containing a clock, was added, raising it to a height of 48 meters. Well, that's according to some sources. Either it has shrunk meanwhile, or the information is incorrect. I estimate it's less than half that height nowadays. I'm also pretty sure, that you can't see as far as the Zuiderzee from the top, as some sources claim. Although you probably could, in the old days.
Because of problems with the accuracy and the striking mechanism of the clockwork, people started to name it "Malle Jaap" (Stupid Jaap). Over the last centuries a series of renovations in the interior, as well as the exterior, was carried out. From 1878 to 2006 it was used by the water management authority and therefore closed for the public. Since 2010, the “Stichting Secret Garden”, an LGTB+ organisation had established their headquarters in the tower. A private boat tour starts right by the canal at the base of the tower.
Map data from OpenStreetMaps 2024