Bridge 42 history and information
Modern history of #bridge42 begins in 1890 when it was proposed to lower the bridge and widen it to ten meters. That bridge was designed by the Public Works Department of the municipality and was a recognisable appearance of graceful supports of the extensions mounted on stone beams. That bridge lasted until 1980 when the opinion prevailed that if a new bridge had to be built then it should fit better into the cityscape. A new arch bridge with three passages was created causing car and shipping traffic to be halted for a period of almost a year.
The unofficial name of the bridge was the Wielrijdersbrug after the former ANWB office located at Keizersgracht 590. However, in April 2016 all unofficial names were either made official or withdrawn by the municipality and it is no surprise therefore that the unofficial name for this bridge expired and it remains unnamed.
Pictures from Amsterdam Archive
1 Bridge 42 at Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, seen towards Vijzelstraat undated
2 In the foreground: urinal and behind bridge no. 42, seen towards the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat entrance Martin Alberts, 5 juli 1991
3 Seen in a southerly direction to bridge 42 at entrance Nieuwe Spiegelstraat
Svend Elmgvist 1925 t/m 1926
4 Viewed west to Bridge 42 at Nieuwe Spiegelstraat. Right Keizersgracht 545-589. Photo from ‘Scrapbook’, album with 178 city views of Amsterdam and elsewhere, compiled by Jacob Olie himself. maart 1901
5 At number 555 corner Nieuwe Spiegelstraat the office building of the Amsterdam Society of Life Insurance, designed by architect C.B. Posthumus Meyjes sr. (1917-1919). Left the Wielrijdersbrug (bridge 42) with Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 12-22 (from left to right) in the extension. Annemieke van Oord-de Pee 1990
6 Right the Wielrijdersbrug (bridge 42) to the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat with numbers 26-36 (from left to right). Annemieke van Oord-de Pee 1990
