The
Amstel is a river in the
Netherlands which runs through the city of
Amsterdam.
The Amstel's name is derived from
Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water".
Geography
The river originally began where two smaller rivers, the Drecht and Kromme Mijdrecht, joined together, a little south of
Uithoorn. After the construction of a canal, the Amstel-Drecht Kanaal, the river (including the canal) now begins where the Drecht and another canal, the Aarkanaal, meet one another, near the town of
Nieuwveen. Tributary rivers are the Kromme Mijdrecht, Bullewijk and Waver.
The river's mouth is in Amsterdam, where it meets the
IJ bay. However, in 1936 the last part of the river (called
Rokin) was filled in, so the river now ends at
Muntplein, although it remains connected to the IJ through subterraneous pipes.
Amstel Island
The river contains only one island (), named simply Amsteleiland (Amstel Island). The only road leading to it belongs to
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, but the island itself is part of the municipality of
Amstelveen. It has an area of roughly 0.05 km².
Places named after the river Amstel
Amsterdam took its name from the river. The city developed out of a
small fishing village called "Amstelredam", built in the 13th century alongside a dam at the mouth of the river. The town was granted
city rights around 1300. The hamlet developed into the small town "Amsteldam", which later became "Amsterdam".
The area through which the river passes is known as the
Amstelland. The city and municipality of
Amstelveen, the municipality of
Ouder-Amstel, the towns of
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel and
Nes aan de Amstel are all named after the river as well. Amsterdam has a street called Amstel (along the river), a square called Amstelveld and a train station called Amsterdam Amstel.
In the former Dutch colonies in North America, a town was captured from the Swedes in 1655 and renamed Nieuw-Amstel. It is now known as
New Castle, Delaware.
Bridges and other landmarks
The Amstel in Amsterdam
The well-known
Magere Brug bridge in Amsterdam crosses the river, as do the
Blauwbrug,
Hoge Sluis and
Berlagebrug bridges.
The
Stopera city hall and opera house and Carré theatre are both located on the banks of the river.
Events
A nationally televised concert is held on the river every year on
Bevrijdingsdag (
Liberation Day). The rowing races Head of the River Amstel and Heineken Roeivierkamp are held on the river annually. The river also forms part of the route of the
Canal Parade, Amsterdam's annual floating gay pride parade.
Amstel beer
Amstel beer is also named after the river. The Amstel brewery was situated close to the Amstel river, and the river water was used to cool the beer.
The Amstel in art
Many artists that have painted or drawn the Amstel river, including:
Photo gallery
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