Walls of Amsterdam

The walls of Amsterdam were built in the Middle Ages to protect the city against attack. The Medieval walls were replaced with a series of bastions in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the walls were torn down and replaced with the Defence Line of Amsterdam (Stelling van Amsterdam), a fortification line which encircled Amsterdam at a distance from the city.

Remains of the Medieval and 17th-century defenses include the former city gates Waag and Munttoren, as well as the defensive tower Schreierstoren and the watchtower Montelbaanstoren.

Around the year 1300, an earthen wall had been erected behind the Nieuwendijk dike. Traces of this wall were discovered during archeological excavations around Nieuwezijds Kolk in 1994. Following the Siege of Amsterdam () in 1303, Count William III of Holland withdrew the privilege of Amsterdam to have defenses, forcing the town to remove the wall.

About 40 years later, around 1340, new walls were constructed, both along the western oudezijde ("old side") and along the eastern nieuwezijde ("new side") of the Amstel river. On either side of the town, a moat was dug, and a wall topped by a wooden palisade was then built on the inner side of the moat. When in 1385 new walls and moats were built beyond these original walls and canals, the existing walls became known as Achterburgwal ("back wall") and the new walls were called Voorburgwal ("front wall"). This is how the canals Oudezijds Voorburgwal (), Oudezijds Achterburgwal (), Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and Nieuwezijds Achterburgwal () got their name.

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