Former brewery Het Roode Hert on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

The Prinsengracht in Amsterdam is a canal that runs parallel to the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam-Centre. The canal, named after the Prince of Orange, is the fourth of the four main canals in the ring of canals.

Construction began in 1612, on the initiative of Mayor Frans Hendrickszoon Oetgens, based on a design by city carpenter Hendrick Jacobszoon Staets and city surveyor Lucas Jansz Sinck. The section between Leidsegracht and Amstel was added in 1658. With the last expansion the part east of the Amstel was laid out. This part was called Nieuwe Prinsengracht. The extension of Prinsengracht, between Brouwersgracht and Westerdok, is called Korte Prinsengracht.

In 1625, Philip Denijs and Geertruyd Reael received the brewery Het Rode Hert on Prinsengracht as a wedding present from Philip's father Pieter. Pieter had bought the brewery in 1620, extended the plot and modernised the brewery. He probably named the brewery after the Flemish brewery Het Hert in Merksem, owned by his wife's family. In Amsterdam in 1625 there was already a brewery called "Het Witte Hert" (the White Deer) and that's probably why the colour red was added to the name.

The Denijs family lived and worked in the seven buildings at the Prinsengracht. Behind them were various other buildings, such as a malt house, a horse-driven horse mill and a horse stable. In 1654 a third generation descendant, named Pieter after his grandfather, took over the brewery and in 1682 the brewery was sold for lack