Watergraafsmeer
The Watergraafsmeer (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌʋaːtərɣraːfsˈmeːr]) is a polder in North Holland, Netherlands. It was reclaimed in 1629.[1] In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were many buitenplaatsen in the Watergraafsmeer, though nowadays only one, Frankendael, remains. It is among the lowest-lying parts of Amsterdam (approximately 5 metres below the NAP).
Since 1921, the Watergraafsmeer is part of the city of Amsterdam[2] and its rural character has all but disappeared. It is located in the borough of Amsterdam-Oost. The most important streets in the Watergraafsmeer are the Middenweg and the Kruislaan.
History
During the 17th and 18th centuries, a number of wealthy Amsterdammers (inhabitants of Amsterdam) built buitenplaatsen in the Watergraafsmeer. Today, only the buitenplaats of Frankendael remains. On the Maliebaan, people played jeu de mail.
From 1 May 1817 until 1 January 1921, Watergraafsmeer was an independent municipality with approximately ten thousand inhabitants. In the early 20th century, it was mainly agricultural, with horticulture and cattle breeding.
Famous people
- Johan Cruyff, football player
- Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, Dutch chess champion, world chess champion (1935-37), international chess arbiter
- Nola Hatterman, actress and painter
- Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, graphic artist
- Gerard Reve, Dutch writer
- Karel van het Reve, Dutch writer, translator, literary historian
References
- ^ Mesquita, Sandra; Castel-Branco, Cristina; De Sequeira, Miguel Menezes (2021). "Tracing the Azorean Jasmine (jasminum Azoricum L.), an Endemic Species from Madeira, Through Three Centuries of Illustration and Gardening". Garden History. 49 (1): 80–106. ISSN 0307-1243.
- ^ "Annexatie en Bouwplanontwikkeling Watergraafsmeer". Geheugen van Oost (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-11-15.
52°21′N 4°56′E / 52.350°N 4.933°E