The great rebuilding of Amsterdam (1521–1578)
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Keywords
In 1452, approximately three-quarters of Amsterdam was destroyed by fire. Despite attempts by the city government to encourage citizens to build usingbrickandpantiles,thecitywasmainlyrebuiltwithtimber-framedbuildings. Onlyin1521didpetrificationofAmsterdam’sbuildingsgraduallystarttobecome more widespread, coinciding with an enormous increase in the total number of houses. The great rebuilding of Amsterdam led to a sustainable renewal of the housingstock,ofwhichsomehouseshavesurvivedtothepresentday.Thisarticle investigates the reasons for the delay in building with brick, based on building archaeologicalresearch,bylawsandinvestigationofthe1562taxregister.Itshows the mechanisms of transforming a wooden city into a brick one and reveals the effects on living conditions in the final stages of the rebuilding process in the sixteenth century.
Van Tussenbroek, Gabri. (2013). The great rebuilding of Amsterdam (1521–1578). Urban History, 1-24.
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Icon image: Fotobank