Zeedijk
| Zeedijk | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 善德街 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 善德街 | ||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | shàndé jiē |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | sin6 dak1 gaai1 |
Coordinates: 52°22′26.64″N 4°54′1.50″E / 52.3740667°N 4.9004167°E
Zeedijk (English: "Sea dike") is a street in the old centre of Amsterdam. The street is the northern and eastern boundary of De Wallen red-light district and runs between Prins Hendrikkade and Nieuwmarkt. Historically an area riddled with crime and drug addicts, the area went through a revitalization and is now the main street of Amsterdam's Chinatown, where locals come to eat at Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants. The Zeedijk neighbourhood is also known as the Nautical Quarter (Dutch: Nautisch Kwartier) because of its past as a sailor's neighbourhood.
The zeedijk was constructed as seawall or dike to protect Amsterdam from the water of the IJ, which was in open connection with the Zuiderzee until 1872. The street's curvature is a noticeable remnant of its adherence to the contours of the old dike. Halfway along the dike is the former Sint Anthoniespoort, the old city gate now called the Waag. Beyond the gate running south-east, the dike continued as Sint Antoniesdijk (now Sint Antoniesbreestraat).
The neighbourhood is one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam. In 1544, Zeedijk was the first street to have permanent street lights installed. Until the 17th century, the curve of the promenade was one of the most respectable places where one could live. After the construction of the luxurious Herengracht, the wealthy merchants moved out of the area and it became a centre of nightlife for passing sailors. The old bars and the shops for ship supplies are still a reminder of this.
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Wikipedia