Omval (Amsterdam)

Omval
Neighbourhood of Amsterdam
Omval, as seen from the Korte Ouderkerkerdijk on the other side of the Amstel
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
COROP	Amsterdam
Borough	Oost
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)

Omval is a neighbourhood situated on a peninsula on the eastern shore of the Amstel river in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is situated south of the Weesperzijde neighbourhood and next to the Amsterdam Amstel railway station in the borough of Amsterdam-Oost. In the 1990s, it became the site of a major business district featuring the Rembrandt Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Amsterdam.

The Omval area became a peninsula in a meander of the Amstel river when the Watergraafsmeer, a polder in the east of the city, was drained and reclaimed in 1629. Originally, the Omval was part of the Ouder-Amstel municipality, but in 1921 the peninsula was added to the city of Amsterdam. The name Omval refers to the sharp turn in the river Amstel. In order to safely pass this turn, sailboats transporting goods on the river in the 17th century had to tack their sails (overstag gaan or omvallen in Dutch) to change direction.

An etching by Rembrandt, who was known to be working in the area, depicts the Omval area in the mid-1600s. The print shows a man standing on the Amstel embankment and two lovers sitting underneath an old willow tree, as well as a windmill used to pump water from the polder. In Rembrandt's time, the Omval was a popular countryside recreation area.