Haarlemmersluis

The Haarlemmersluis is the name of both a lock and adjacent bridge at the eastern end of Brouwers­gracht, where the Singel canal drains into the IJ. Both are named after the road to Haarlem in the west. This Haar­lemmer­sluis was completed in 1602 as a lock in the old sea dike on this side of the city, to keep the salt sea water from entering the canals at high tide. The wide fixed bridge which connects the Nieuwen­dijk to the Haar­lemmer­straat lies next to the locks.

Haarlemmersluis on Singel looking north, on the left the entrance to Haarlemmerstraat (September 2023).

Old Haarlemmersluis

The current Haar­lemmer­sluis was initially known as New Haar­lemmer­sluis, to distinguish it from the Old Haar­lemmer­sluis. That older lock was first known as Spaarn­dammer­sluis, located where the Nieuwen­dijk crosses Martelaars­gracht, the first Haar­lemmer­poort on top of it. When it was renewed in 1506 the name was changed to Haar­lemmer­sluis. In 1884, when the Martelaars­gracht was filled in, that lock disappeared.

Haarlemmersluis, seen from Stromarkt on Singel, on the left bridge nr. 15 at the start of Brouwersgracht (September 2023).

New Haarlemmersluis

By the end of the 16th century both the Dam lock and the Old Haar­lemmer­sluis were in terrible condition, constantly needing to be fixed up. The planned New Haar­lemmer­sluis was meant to ease the strain on both locks, but the city was short on cash because of the huge amount of work involved in Amsterdam’s Second Extension (Tweede Uitleg, 1585-1593) on the east side of town. The city council then took out a big loan to simultaneously renew the Old Haar­lemmer­sluis (1594-1596) and start building the New Haar­lemmer­sluis on Singel.

North side of the Haarlemmersluis, Koepelkerk on Singel in the background. Print by Johannes Hilverdink (Rijksmuseum).

The Old Haar­lemmer­sluis lock on Martelaarsgracht still had the (first) Haarlem Gate on top of it. Before it could be removed, new city walls on Herengracht needed to be constructed and a temporary Haarlem Gate erected on Herenmarkt. So the New Haar­lemmer­sluis was overdue and built too hastily — it soon proved to be too narrow and less than functional as a protection against the IJ water. Already in 1617 the entire construction needed to be redone wider and longer, with 3 pairs of high tide doors and 2 pairs of low tide doors. The current lock revision dates from 1681, ordained by mayor Johannes Hudde. After the Oranjesluizen in 1872 closed off the IJ from the Zuiderzee, there were no more tides and the lock lost its original function.

Haarlemmersluis in the foreground, looking south at Stromarkt and Koepelkerk on Singel (June 2024).

Lock Maintenance Troubles

In 1672 (the so-called Disaster Year) the Dutch Republic was attacked on four sides (France from the south, the English at sea and troops from Münster and Cologne from the east). Money was tight and most locks were in a sorry state. Maintenance of quay walls and locks was only done ad hoc and by 1673 a number of locks (including this New Haar­lemmer­sluis) were held together with clamps and crochets and were severely compromised. By 1702 five of the city’s seven sea locks were almost inoperable.

Standing on Haarlemmersluis, looking west along Brouwersgracht (September 2023).

Initial Boat Congestion

The New Haarlemmer­sluis soon struggled to keep up with the heavy boat traffic: a steady stream of boats supplied the markets around the Singel canal, there was constant boat traffic from the breweries near Brouwers­gracht, there were ferries, milk transports from Water­land (north of the IJ) and much construction boat traffic for the newly dug canals of the grachten­gordel. So  after many complaints the city decided to renew the lock construction here in 1617 and also to create a second new lock in the Korte Prinsen­gracht, the Eenhoorn­sluis (Unicorn lock), in order to ease the strain on the Haar­lemmer­sluis.

Haarlemmersluis bridge looking west at the start of Haarlemmerstraat. The building from 1895 on the right, with the angel on top, was a life insurance company. The house on the left, Zilch clothing, dates from 1630-1640 (September 2023).

Haarlemmersluis Bridge

The wide fixed Haar­lemmer­sluis bridge (bridge nr. 14) connects Nieuwen­dijk to Haar­lemmer­straat, crossing the Singel canal. In 1809 the drawbridge across the lock chamber became a fixed bridge, widened in 1879 to accommodate the horse-drawn tram, rebuilt and lowered in 1973. The spot is quite a popular tourist attraction, with many tour boats passing. On top a herring stall and flower stall, close to the start of the Haarlemmerstraat.

Haarlemmersluis bridge, looking northwest at Singel and Droogbak (September 2023).

Johannes Hudde & Water Management

Johannes Hudde (1628-1704) was a mathema­tician and mayor of Amsterdam for nearly 21 years, who understood the need to keep the city safe and clean. He introduced a much more professional approach to Amsterdam’s water management, starting in 1672 with the measurement of dike heights and water levels — he had new locks built and old ones renewed. The current Haar­lemmer­sluis was the renewal in 1681 of the old locks from 1602, part of his extensive project.

Portrait of Johannes Hudde (1628-1704), detail of a painting by Michiel van Musscher from 1686 (Rijks­museum).

At the Haar­lemmer­sluis daily measurements were carried out of the low and high tides of the IJ waters. Hudde had marble slabs inserted at eight city locks in 1684, with a horizontal line indicating the height of the city’s sea dikes, 2.676 m (8.779 ft) above Stadspeil, the median high water level. This median water level was first called Amsterdams Peil, later Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP, Amsterdam Ordnance Datum). Of these eight marble slabs the only remaining one is on the Eenhoornsluis. Since 1818 this datum is used to indicate all heights in the Netherlands, the same system also used in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Haarlemmersluis looking southwest on Singel, with too many bicycles on the bridge railing (June 2024).

New Fish Market

These days the only remnant of the fish market here is the herring vendor cart on the Haarlemmersluis bridge. But from 1661 until 1840 this was where the New (or Small) Fish Market was located, with 67 vendors selling from covered benches, on poles over the water — the fish was kept fresh in baskets under water. The fish market here was located along the west side of Singel, from the Haarlemmersluis bridge up to Droogbak. The New was added to distinguish it from the Old Fish Market near Dam square, which had some 120 vendors and existed until 1841.

View of the medieval Haring­pakkers­toren (demolished in 1829) near Haar­lemmer­sluis with Nieuwe Vismarkt on the right, seen from the IJ towards town. Engraving by J. Smit from between 1700 and 1750 (Stads­archief Amsterdam).

The area around the locks had been a fish market for centuries. Amsterdam’s flourishing herring trade was mostly concentrated along the quay at the IJ, between Martelaars­gracht and Haar­lemmer­sluis. It was called Herring Packers (Haring­pakkerij) with the Herring Packers Tower (demolished in 1829) at its center. Herring was tested, cleaned, salted and packed in barrels here. Amsterdam’s herring vendor and flower stalls, once with fixed traditional spots, are now being threatened by silly European legislation, insisting on a rotation by lottery instead of fixed spots with a waiting list for traditional vendors.

Capstan and flower bike on Haarlemmersluis at the side of Singel, corner Brouwersgracht (June 2024).

Refreshing Canal Water

When at night the water in the canals is being refreshed, either the Haar­lemmer­sluis lock or the nearby Eenhoorn­sluis lock from 1618 (at Korte Prinsen­gracht, between Haar­lemmer­straat and Haar­lemmer­dijk) are closed — but they never both close at the same time, so nightly boat traffic between IJ and the main canals remains possible.

Detail of a map from 1867 with Eenhoorn­sluis and Haar­lemmer­sluis (original map Stads­archief Amsterdam).

Way Too Crowded

The Haar­lemmer­sluis lock and bridge regularly suffer from over­crowding, especially during the summer months. The busy boat traffic (tour boats, private boats and dinghies) at the lock invites both tourists and shoppers to stop and look at the congestion on the water, especially when tour boats make the sharp turn from Brouwersgracht. Because of the popularity of the Nieuwendijk and Haarlemmerstraat there is a sheer endless piling up of parked bicycles and scooters along every available bridge railing, pole and wall.

Bicycle pile-up on the Haarlemmersluis bridge railings, looking north (September 2023).

The wide bridge is also the demar­cation between two crowded shopping streets. On the one hand the end of the Nieuwen­dijk (direction town center) with its massage parlors, coffee­shops, cheap food joints and cheap souvenir shops, attracting tourists looking for sex, drugs and tasteless crap. On the other side the start of the Haar­lemmer­straat to the west, famed as one of the nicest shopping streets in town, so popular that there’s hardly any walking space left on the sidewalks. The endless fast stream of bicycles can make crossing the bridge and street a truly dangerous under­taking at times.

Flower stall on Haarlemmersluis bridge (May 2023).