{"id":4219,"date":"2026-10-06T12:16:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrvoyage.nl\/historical-facts-along-amsterdams-canals\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T12:16:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:16:50","slug":"historical-facts-along-amsterdams-canals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrvoyage.nl\/en\/historical-facts-along-amsterdams-canals\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical facts along Amsterdam\u2019s canals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Historical facts along Amsterdam’s canals<\/h1>\n

Anyone cruising along Amsterdam\u2019s canals encounters far more history than you might think at first glance. Behind the famous towers, canals, and buildings lie stories that sometimes date back hundreds of years.<\/p>\n

During VR Voyage, you\u2019ll discover Amsterdam as it looks today while also travelling back in time to the 17th century at various points along the way. But what stories are connected to the places you pass by? We\u2019ve put together three fascinating historical facts for you.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Schreierstoren likely did not get its name from weeping women<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A well-known story about the Schreierstoren<\/em> is that women would stand here crying as they said goodbye to sailors setting off on long journeys. A beautiful story, but probably not the real explanation behind the tower\u2019s name. The tower was originally called the Schreyhoekstoren<\/em>, named after the sharp corner made by the old city wall at this spot.<\/p>\n

    The Schreierstoren was built in 1487 and is the only fully surviving defensive tower of Amsterdam\u2019s medieval city wall. Along the VR Voyage route, you\u2019ll pass by this historic site and discover just how different the area looked centuries ago.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Montelbaanstoren was nicknamed \u201cMalle Jaap\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Montelbaanstoren also has a fascinating story to tell. The tower was originally built as part of Amsterdam\u2019s defenses and was given the distinctive spire we recognize today in 1606. But did you know that the tower was nicknamed \u201cMalle Jaap\u201d?<\/p>\n

      The tower\u2019s clock did not always work properly in the 17th century. Sometimes the bells would ring at odd times, only to remain silent for days afterward. That\u2019s how the nickname came about. A small detail from the past that you probably wouldn\u2019t expect when passing by the tower today.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Amsterdam\u2019s harbor once stretched for kilometers<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In the 17th century, Amsterdam was deeply connected to the water. After 1585, the city grew into an important center for international trade, and the harbor along the IJ stretched for approximately 5 kilometers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

        As a result, the area around the Oude Haven looked completely different from how we know it today. Ships, goods, and commercial activity dominated the scene. This contrast between past and present is exactly what makes VR Voyage so fascinating. In the VR scenes, historical locations are not simply shown as buildings\u2014you see the surroundings come to life again, filled with ships and activity.<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Discover the stories yourself<\/u><\/p>\n

        Amsterdam is full of stories that you could easily sail past from the water without ever knowing what happened there in the past. During the 75-minute VR Voyage canal cruise, you\u2019ll spend most of the time enjoying Amsterdam as it looks today. At seven points along the route, you\u2019ll put on the VR headset and travel back to the 17th century. In total, approximately 15 minutes of the tour consists of VR animations.<\/p>\n

        This gives the places and stories along the canals a whole new perspective.<\/p>\n

        Ready to discover Amsterdam then and now for yourself?<\/strong>
        \nBook your VR Voyage experience at <\/em>www.vrvoyage.nl<\/em><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        This blog describes three historical facts that come up during the historic VR boat tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[73,84],"class_list":["post-4219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historical-information","tag-vr-voyage","tag-historical-facts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHistorical facts along Amsterdam\u2019s canals - VR Voyage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the hidden stories and facts of the Amsterdam canals that come up during the historic VR boat tour.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vrvoyage.nl\/en\/historical-facts-along-amsterdams-canals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Historical facts along Amsterdam\u2019s canals - 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