Hildo Krop’s Granite Monsters on the Leidsestraat, and the Almshouse That Gave the Bridge Its Name
The Aalmoezeniersbrug carries the Leidsestraat across the Prinsengracht. Tens of thousands of people cross it every week on the walk between the Leidseplein and the centre, and almost none of them look down at the four granite plates set into its abutments, which carry carved mythical creatures. The bridge is a national monument, and it is one of the finest small pieces of Amsterdam School design in the canal ring.
Etymology and Naming: The Almoner’s House for Orphans and Widows
The name refers to the aalmoezeniershuis — the almoner’s house, the institution of poor relief that stood on the Prinsengracht. The original refuge sheltered poor orphans and widows, and it stood next to the building that served for more than a century as Amsterdam’s Palace of Justice, with which it was eventually merged in the nineteenth century.
This is a name that records the city’s charitable infrastructure rather than its commercial one, and the geography around it is dense with the same theme: the almoner’s institution at Prinsengracht 436 is the same one that connects to Bridge 67, a short distance north, now named for Angenietje Swarthof, one of the women who took in foundlings received through that office. Two adjacent bridges, both named from a single system of poor relief, approached from opposite ends — the institution and the individual.
Structural Evolution: De Greef’s Bridge of 1860, Kramer’s of 1921
Around 1860 a bridge was built here to a design by city architect Bastiaan de Greef — the same office responsible for the neighbouring crossing at the Leidsegracht three decades later. De Greef’s bridges belong to the nineteenth-century wave that replaced arched masonry with flat iron decks suited to wheeled traffic.
The structure standing today is later and considerably more ambitious. The current fixed plate or beam bridge, with three passages, was built in 1921 to a design by P.L. Kramer in Amsterdam School style, commissioned by the Bridges department of the then Public Works service of the Amsterdam municipality.
Kramer designed a very large number of Amsterdam’s bridges, and the Leidsestraat crossing is one of the places where his approach is easiest to read. The bridge is not treated as a deck resting on supports but as a sculptural object: the brick wings are executed in horizontally stepped form, with blocks of natural stone at the waterline, so that the structure appears to grow out of the canal rather than to be dropped across it.
Architectural Lineage: The Krop Sculptures
The bridge’s sculptural programme was designed in 1916 by Hildo Krop and executed by the firm of Johan Polet. The stepped brick wings are capped by sculpted plates of grey granite bearing depictions of mythical creatures — four in total.
Krop was the city sculptor of Amsterdam, and his partnership with Kramer produced one of the most distinctive municipal aesthetics in twentieth-century Europe. The logic behind it was that public works should be publicly beautiful: a bridge carrying a shopping street over a canal was considered a legitimate site for original sculpture, commissioned from a serious artist, at public expense. That the sculptures were designed in 1916 for a bridge completed in 1921 indicates how long these schemes gestated, and how integrated the sculptural and structural design processes were.
The creatures repay a proper look. They sit at the waterline end of the wings, best seen from a boat or from the quay rather than from the deck — which is why most of the people crossing the Leidsestraat have never seen them.
Urban and Social Context: The Busiest Walk in Amsterdam
The Leidsestraat is one of the principal pedestrian routes of the inner city, running from the Koningsplein to the Leidseplein and crossing the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht on its way. Each of those crossings is a bridge; this is the last of them before the Leidseplein.
The consequence is a structure that carries an extraordinary volume of foot traffic over a canal in a protected historic zone while also being a listed monument in its own right — a combination that makes maintenance on this stretch of the Prinsengracht permanently complicated. Nearby, on the Prinsengracht across the Leidsegracht, stands Bridge 93, which until 2016 bore the unofficial name Bestedelingenbrug and has since been named the Pieter Goemansbrug.
Technical Specifications
- Bridge number: 68
- Name: Aalmoezeniersbrug
- Type: Fixed plate or beam bridge, three passages
- Spans: Prinsengracht
- Carries: Leidsestraat
- Earlier structure: c. 1860, designed by city architect Bastiaan de Greef
- Current structure: 1921
- Architect: P.L. (Piet) Kramer, Amsterdam School
- Sculpture: Designed 1916 by Hildo Krop, executed by the firm Johan Polet
- Detail: Horizontally stepped brick wings, natural stone at the waterline, four sculpted grey granite plates with mythical creatures
- Status: Rijksmonument (518395)
Sources Consulted
- Aalmoezeniersbrug, Nederlandstalige Wikipedia
- Rijksmonumenten.nl / Monumenten.nl, monument 518395 — Brug nr. 68
- Stadsarchief Amsterdam Beeldbank — Prinsengracht 436–446 met de Aalmoezeniersbrug, 1866
- Wikidata Q17291494
- Bruggen van Amsterdam
The Aalmoezeniersbrug or Chaplains bridge is located on Leidsestraat and spans Prinsengracht. The name refers to the bestedelingenhuis or almshouse, which was located on Prinsengracht. The original shelter for poor orphans and widows was located next to what was Amsterdam’s Palace of Justice for more than a century and with which, at least the building, it merged in the 19th century. In 2017, it stands empty. Incidentally, in Prinsengracht across Leidsegracht is bridge 93, which until 2016 bore the unofficial name Bestedelingenbrug but has been called Pieter Goemansbrug since 2007.
History and information
The Aalmoezeniersbrug, also known simply as Bridge Number 68, is situated at the intersection of Leidsestraat and forms part of the exit route from Amsterdam-Centrum to Amsterdam-West, along with the King Lock and Bridge 43. The original bridge was constructed around 1860 based on a design by the city architect Bastiaan de Greef. As traffic increased, it became apparent that both the street and the bridges were too narrow to accommodate the growing demands.
To address this issue, the bridges underwent modifications, with a particular focus on accommodating trams by incorporating tram stops. Renowned architect Piet Kramer was responsible for designing the new bridge, envisioning a plate bridge with three passages and brick and natural stone abutments, adorned with decorative motifs on the wings. The planning process for these bridges began in 1916, with a budget of 150,000 guilders allocated for all three structures. However, due to the economic impact of World War I, raw material costs surged, leading to a nearly doubled budget by 1920/1921.
Despite the increased expenses, the Aalmoezeniersbrug was enhanced with ironwork balustrades and adorned with several granite sculptures crafted by Hildo Krop, including four fabled animals. These additions added an artistic and decorative touch to the bridge’s appearance.
In recognition of its historical and architectural significance, the Aalmoezeniersbrug was designated as a national monument in 2002. Concurrently, the municipality found an opportunity to reduce costs by transforming Leidsestraat into a pedestrian zone, eliminating the need for traffic flow dampening measures.
Over time, Leidsestraat gradually lost its role as a traffic road and evolved into a pedestrian-friendly zone, contributing to the area’s cultural and historical heritage.
Map and location
The bridge is located in the Leidsestraat and spans the Prinsengracht.
Leidsestraat: Leidsestraat is a bustling and vibrant street known for its many shops, boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues. It stretches from the Singel canal in the south to the Leidseplein square in the north. The street is a popular shopping destination, offering a mix of well-known international brands, local boutiques, and specialty stores. It is often crowded with tourists and locals alike, especially during weekends and peak tourist seasons. The atmosphere is lively, with street performers and musicians adding to the charm of the area.
Prinsengracht: Prinsengracht is one of the main canals in Amsterdam and runs parallel to Leidsestraat. It is part of the famous Canal Ring, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The canal is lined with beautiful historic buildings, many of which are traditional canal houses dating back to the Golden Age of Amsterdam. These houses feature distinctive gabled facades and serve as a reminder of the city’s rich architectural heritage. Along Prinsengracht, you can find houseboats moored along the canal, which is a characteristic sight of Amsterdam’s canalscape.
Intersection: The intersection of Leidsestraat and Prinsengracht is a bustling and lively area with a mix of commercial activities and scenic beauty. It is an ideal location for both shopping enthusiasts and those interested in exploring Amsterdam’s picturesque canals. The intersection is close to various attractions, such as the Leidseplein square, the Vondelpark, and several museums, making it a popular starting point for tourists exploring the city.
