From 1613 Amsterdam executed a planned extension of concentric canals — Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht — drained from marshland and lined with standardised merchant plots. The scheme combined defence, transport, drainage and real-estate development in a single deliberate layout. Land was raised on timber piles and sold under building regulations that produced the characteristic gabled canal houses. It roughly tripled the city's area during the Dutch Golden Age.
The canal ring is a landmark of early modern comprehensive city planning, integrating hydraulics, commerce and regulated urban form.
See it on the timeline →