The Amsterdam canals are a world renowned location of cultural and historical significance with a rich history spanning 400 years of development, expansion, innovation and engineering.
Amsterdam has a vast array of water canals over 100km in length, around 60 miles. These 165 canals divide the city into a series of small islands connected by over 1200 bridges, with the in 1648; the Torensluis. The majority of canals can be accessed by private boats, group tours, or rental boats with many moored on the canal edges next to houseboats. The citys bridges were built to withstand horse and cart weight of the time, which have since been affected by the trucks and small amount of cars that pass through the canal ring. Complex maintenance work is underway to strengthen certain canal walls and bridges throughout the city.
There are more than 881,000 bicycles in Amsterdam. Thats four times the number of cars. The total length of bike paths in Amsterdam is about 400 kilometers. Between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are pulled out of Amsterdams canals each year.
We travelled along and across the canals admiring the beautiful architecture as we went. A great start to any day.
Since 2010, Amsterdams ring of canals were awarded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage site. A recognition for its unique urban development, innovative engineering and incredible water management.
We saw one canal being renovated, not such a pretty sight but definitely needed to,preserve the ancient waterways.
