Why was it removed?
The “death” of Bridge 33 occurred during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when Amsterdam was aggressively modernizing its infrastructure. As the city expanded and land traffic began to take precedence over small-scale water transport in the outer canals, several smaller bridges were deemed redundant.
When the city decided to fill in or “overkluis” (vault) certain sections of the canals for quay expansion or road widening, Bridge 33 was demolished. Unlike other bridges that were replaced with modern stone or iron versions, the city planners determined that the traffic flow between the Leidsegracht and the Marnixstraat did not justify a new structure.
The “Ghost” Numbering
The reason you cannot find a “new” Bridge 33 today is due to the administrative conservation of the Centraal Bruggennummering system. Amsterdam’s Bureau Monumenten & Archeologie (BMA) and the Public Works department generally do not “reuse” numbers of demolished bridges to avoid confusion in the historical registries. When Bridge 33 was struck from the physical world, its number remained a placeholder in the archives: a phantom entry that skips from Bridge 32 (over the Leidsegracht at the Prinsengracht) directly toward the next sequence.
The Blueprint of a Vanished Landmark
The technical records of the original Bridge 33 reveal a structure typical of the mid-19th-century transition in Amsterdam’s maritime infrastructure. Based on the Publieke Werken (PW) archives, specifically the 1850–1880 maintenance logs, the bridge was a “houten klapbrug” (wooden drawbridge).
Unlike the majestic stone arches found on the Herengracht, Bridge 33 was purely functional. Its design focused on allowing the passage of small industrial barges (dekschuiten) that transported peat and building materials to the workshops along the Lijnbaansgracht.
Technical Specifications from the Archive:
Foundation: The bridge rested on timber piles driven deep into the Amsterdam clay, a standard practice before the adoption of reinforced concrete.
Mechanism: It featured a manual overhead balance beam (de hameipoort) which allowed a single bridge tender to lift the deck using chains and counterweights.
Span: The passage width was approximately 5 meters, sufficient for the narrow vessels of the period but restrictive for the steam-powered traffic that began to dominate the waterways by the 1890s.
The Decision to Demolish
The archival notes from 1895 suggest that the bridge had become a “verkeersbelemmering” (traffic obstacle). As the Leidseplein area developed into a major transport hub, the city prioritized the widening of the quay walls.
The Public Works Department concluded that the cost of upgrading Bridge 33 to a modern iron or stone structure was not justified. Consequently, the waterway at that specific junction was narrowed, the bridge was dismantled, and the quay was “getrokken” (straightened). This left a gap in the municipal ledger that remains to this day.
Expanded Archival References
Stadsarchief Amsterdam (Collectie Tekeningen van Publieke Werken): Technical drawings of the “Houten klapbrug over de Leidsegracht bij de Lijnbaansgracht” dated circa 1862.
Verslagen der Gemeente Amsterdam (1894-1896): Administrative reports detailing the budget allocation for “opruiming” (clearing) of redundant maritime structures.
Map by J.C. Lorthiois (1866): One of the last official city maps to show the bridge as an active crossing before its removal from the registry.
Archival Sources and Municipal Registries
Basisregistratie Adressen en Gebouwen (BAG): Current registry showing the numerical gap in the bridge object IDs for the Centrum district.
Archief van de Publieke Werken (Toegang 5180): Specifically the dossiers regarding the “onderhoud en vernieuwing” (maintenance and renewal) of bridges in the third and fourth colonial expansions.
Beeldbank Amsterdam: Historical maps from 1866 (notably the Lorthiois map) which still depict the wooden structure at the Leidsegracht/Lijnbaansgracht junction.
Dienst der Publieke Werken Map (1914): The definitive “Bridges of Amsterdam” ledger where the number 33 is notably marked as “vervallen” (lapsed/expired).
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