The ferry to North

Actually, Amsterdam-North is not that old. It was not until about 1900 that the first houses were built here after much of this swampy marshland was reclaimed in 1850. And years later, when the city of Amsterdam no longer knew where to go with its rapidly growing industry, the city council decided to “dump” the larger companies and their employees over the IJ River.

And so space was made for Shell and Kromhout’s engine factory, and the dock and shipyards of ADM and NDSM were able to grow into major international enterprises. Houses were built for the workers so they no longer had to travel up and down by ferry. And so the garden villages were born in Amsterdam North.

Additional capacity

Currently, the ferry sails in a fairly wide curve from CS to IJplein in North. It needs to be faster and safer. Therefore, a new landing point is now being built on De Ruijterkade Oost. The ferries can then cross in a straight line. That means shorter sailing time and more sailings can take place. In addition, the timetable will be expanded and larger ferries will be built.

To make all this possible, new land must be reclaimed. And because much of the work must be done from the water, Van Schie has a nice role to play. The entire complex of office containers and work units stands on a pontoon island owned by the Mijdrecht-based company. Pile driving of the sheet piles (by Van ‘t Hek B.V.) is also done from an extra-heavy pontoon of Van Schie, where three large machines are working simultaneously.

Furthermore, Van Schie installed a temporary bicycle and pedestrian bridge (38m long and 6.7m wide), according to a new modular concept. When the project is completed next year, there will be plenty of room for cyclists in particular. It will also be a kind of meeting point that also connects well with existing bicycle routes.

Naco cottage

What’s also nice: the famous Naco house is coming back! The small wooden building on concrete posts stood for 85 years behind CS on Pier 7. It belonged to the NoordhollandscheAutoCar Onderneming, the bus company. Because even the bus used to go on the ferry. Furthermore, you could buy tickets for the boat to Marken and Lemmer at the cottage.

This original cottage was shipped to Zaandam in 2004 and stored there. It is now being restored and is coming back to Amsterdam. What is interesting about the whole story is that the crossing to North once started with private rowboats, with curious people going to see the Gallows Field.

Anno 2021, modern ferries sail across every ten minutes, carrying 67,000 passengers daily, all of whom “take the plunge across the IJ.

The Siberia of Amsterdam

Once, Amsterdam-North was a swampy peninsula that was constantly flooding. The only elevated piece of land was Volewijck. The city government had established the Galgenveld there. Criminals were hung there over the gallows pit, the strangled hung from a pole and the robed were placed on a wheel and quartered. The corpses on display were at the mercy of weather, wind and hungry birds. The rotting bodies were supposed to scare people away.

This gallows hill was easily visible from the city and also from the ships entering Amsterdam. That’s how everyone knew not to play pranks in this town. The crossing to this place became an enjoyable outing for the population; on Sundays, people liked to be rowed there to watch the hangings. Whole families, with children and all. After all, they did not have to grow up “before gallows and the wheel.

With the arrival of the French in 1795, the gallows field was disbanded. They thought it was inhumane. But they themselves came up with the guillotine! The little boats that people used to go to North for a fee were in fact the precursors of the ferry. In 1860, a private steam ferry went across for the first time. And in 1897 the operation came into the hands of the Municipality of Amsterdam.

North became an urban district with an unusual structure. Between the industry and the shipyards the garden villages emerged: Floradorp, Van der Pekbuurt, Disteldorp, Vogelenbuurt. Appreciation for this part of town was far from forthcoming for a long time. This was mainly because of Asterdorp, a communion meant for antisocials who got too out of hand even in the Jordaan. A kind of “residential school” where people were trained to become “decent citizens.

It was often popularly called “North Disturbed” and “The Siberia of Amsterdam. If you were an “overachiever,” you were often frowned upon and could hardly get work. Today, the roles are completely reversed. Asterdorp no longer exists and living in North is now more popular than ever.