On the Spui near the white houses of the Beguinage by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About "On the Spui near the white houses of the Beguinage"

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About the artwork

The Spui is a street (partly square) in Amsterdam city centre that stretches between the Rokin and the Singel. Halfway along, the Spui is crossed by the Kalverstraat. Just north of the Singel, Spuistraat and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal converge. The Spui is originally the name of the water that formed the southern border of the city of Amsterdam until 1425 (a spui- or keersluis is a sluice intended to drain inland water and turn back outside water). At the place where this water flowed into the Rokin, the Osche sluice was built as an extension of the Kalverstraat. When the Singel was dug in the late 15th century, the water received a second lock at the Singel, the Boerenverdriet. At the same time as the Nieuwezijds Achterburgwal (Spuistraat) was drained, this part of the Spui to the Singel was drained in 1867. The rest of the Spui was filled in 1882.

The Begijnhof in Amsterdam is the only hofje founded in medieval Amsterdam, located within the Singel. The Amsterdam hofje is almost a metre lower than the rest of the inner city, at the medieval street level. It is unclear when the Begijnhof was founded. The beguines still lived in one house in 1346 (a document from that year speaks of a "beghynhuys"). Only in 1389 is mention made of a court for the first time (in a privilege letter). Originally, the Begijnhof was entirely enclosed by water (the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, the Spui and the Begijnensloot) with as its only access a small gate at the Begijnensteeg (with a bridge over the Begijnensloot which was filled up in 1865 due to neglect). The rear facades were thus in the water. The entrance on the Spui has only existed since the 19th century.