december-2012

RIGHT
The flea market
at NDSM Wharf
With its renowned collection of
37,000 fi lms, the new EYE Film Institute
nearby has already become a huge
success, enticing masses of fi lm fans
across the water. Designed by architects
Delugan Meissl, all eyes are drawn to this
stunning building defi ning the skyline.
Perched atop the embankment, it’s stark
futuristic angles and white exterior evoke
the sense that a visiting alien spaceship
has come to admire the view.
A sturdy fl eet of blue-and white ferries
shuttles 40,000 people per day across the
water here. Trying to maintain their
course between the criss-crossing ferries,
is a constant stream of cargo ships,
sailboats, canal cruises and enormous
cruise ships.
Th e organised chaos is endlessly
entertaining, as all must share the same
narrow ribbon of water.
This stretch has always seen heavy
traffi c. In the mid-17th century, during
the Dutch Golden Age, the port of
Amsterdam was the most important and
largest shipping centre in the world.
Today it remains a working waterway for
cargo vessels.
Goliath freighters and oil tankers were
still being built at the NDSM Wharf, a
little further along the north bank, until
the late 1970s. Abandoned for decades,
now the old shipyard is once again a hive
of industry, albeit of a diff erent kind.
Some 250 artists have set up their
studios inside an enormous hangar,
making this one of Europe’s biggest
hotbeds of artistic talent. Inside, the
industrial nature of the building is still
intact, complete with giant steel hooks
dangling from long chains and a yellow
crane-operator’s cabin.
Within this setting, multiple studios
have been built alongside and on top of
each other in a series of homemade
streets and levels dubbed ‘Art City’.
Marcia Nolte settled in a year-and-ahalf
ago. “It’s like a neat favela – everyone
has made something diff erent of their
own place. Th ere are artists, architects,
furniture-makers, designers,
photographers – all jumbled together,”
she says. She wouldn’t want to work
anywhere else.
“I love taking the ferry to my studio
every day. In the winter, you get such
gorgeous mornings, when the whole city
disappears in mist. Th e only thing
TRAVEL AMSTERDAM
400 years
Today, Amsterdam’s
17th-century canals are a
top attraction, with three
million people opting for a
canal tour every year.
Listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site since 2010,
the canals have not
always been appreciated.
When Napoleon’s brother
Louis became king of
Holland in 1806, he
wanted to turn the former
town hall on the Dam into
his private palace.
According to local legend,
the stench of the
neighbouring canal was
such that his wife could
not sleep. Louis had the
canal fi lled up and it has
remained so ever since.
Nowadays, the canals are
very clean, however, with
fresh water fl ushed
through city sluices three
times per week. Next year,
the city will mark the
400th anniversary of the
canal ring with a series of
events that form part of
the Amsterdam 2013
celebrations (of which
KLM is the offi cial carrier).
For more on these, see
Updates on p63.
Holland Herald 33