Amsterdam’s Old Villages: Hidden Corners, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Most people visiting Amsterdam never realise that parts of the city used to be small villages — quiet places on the edge of the water, far outside the city walls. Today they are neighbourhoods in the south of the city, connected by trams and bike paths, but their older shapes are still there if you know where to look.

Walk along the Amstel or between the parks and newer housing blocks, and you’ll notice something that doesn’t match the rhythm of the modern city: a street that curves like a village road, a church standing alone, or a cluster of houses that feels older than everything around it. These are the last traces of the villages that once surrounded Amsterdam — places like Buitenveldert, Riekerpolder, and Sloten, each with its own story and its own landmarks that survived the city’s expansion.

Some villages were absorbed slowly, others disappeared almost completely, but they all left clues behind. A dyke that still follows its original line. A village centre hidden between modern streets. A windmill that has been turning longer than the neighbourhood around it has existed. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).