Leliesluis

De Leliesluis (bridge no. 61) is a fixed bridge in the center of Amsterdam. It spans the Prinsengracht and connects the north bank (even side) of the Leliegracht with the other side of the Prinsengracht in the western canal belt. Where the Prinsensluis does not connect to a road further to the west, the Leliestraat here more or less connects to the bridge. From this bridge you have a good view of the three national monument the Anne Frank House, the Westerkerk and Gunters & Meusers building. There has been a bridge here for centuries. Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode already drew a bridge here on his map from 1625. The connection is then established between the Lely Graft, over the Prince Graft and the Nieuwe Lely Straet. There would then have been (around 1645) a wooden bridge that was renovated into a stone bridge. The construction turned out not to have been good, the bridge collapsed in 1656, leaving ten people drowned. Jan Spaan has made a drawing of the bridge, which is dated between 1765 and 1770. A vault bridge with three passages can be seen on it. [1] Herman Schouten did not come much later with a bridge with four arches. [2] The bridge bears two date stones on the south side with "Anno 1785". In 1864 an arch bridge can still be seen here on a photo by Paul Gaston Braun. In 1883 the mayor and aldermen took the decision to lower this bridge and the neighboring bridge 62, land traffic increased, shipping decreased. Skippers reacted against the decision, but did it too late, B&W had already received the stock of iron for the renewal, it is then May 1885. B&W received more requests for the reduction to be omitted but land traffic prevailed. One day 450 carts or handcarts, 250 carriages and 22,600 people were counted against the bridge. A discussion arose, but in the vote there were 26 votes in favor of the reduction and 9 against. [3] [4] In February 1886 the job was done. In 1929 a skipper was reported who had been trapped between the coal box on his ship and the bridge deck; he was admitted to the Binnengasthuis. In 1930 the Sumatra Post (!) With photo reported a similar accident without personal injury. In 1941 the bridge was in such a poor condition that it had to be renovated. The renovation was kept simple due to the Second World War. Later she was provided with a new road surface. The bridge is named after the Leliegracht, which is named after the Oude Leliestraat, which in turn is named after the "In de Witte Lelye" house on the Singel. The suffix lock goes back to the Amsterdam designation for a stone bridge. Unlike elsewhere in the city there is a former lock a stone's throw away, also called the Lily lock (Lely Sluys). The contours of that lock are still visible in the Leliegracht.