Narrow Houses and Skinny Facades
Judging by the number of extremely narrow houses along Amsterdam’s canals, you could conclude that in the seventeenth century when these houses were built, the locals were very slim. Some of these houses are as narrow as the front door. But why are these houses so narrow and where can you find them?
Where is the Narrowest House?
This question is less simple than you might expect. There are a number of houses in Amsterdam that claim to be the narrowest. To begin with, a distinction must be made between the narrowest facade and the narrowest house.
The Narrowest Facade
Many travel guides and blogs will tell you that the house at Singel 7 is the narrowest house in Amsterdam. This is partly true. The house is barely wider than one metre. However, what you see is the back of the house. The front is a lot wider. Therefore: Singel 7 is the house with the narrowest (rear) facade in Amsterdam
The Narrowest House
Oude Hoogstraat 22, with a width of 2.02 meters, can be labeled the narrowest house in Amsterdam. Be sure to look up at the beautiful bell gable. Just a little wider, 2.44 meters, is ‘het Kleine Trippenhuis’ at Kloveniersburgwal 26. Directly opposite is the widest house in Amsterdam, over 22 meters, ‘the Trippenhuis’ at Kloveniersburgwal 29.
The Narrowest Alley
Trompettersteeg is only one meter wide, making it the narrowest street in Amsterdam. A true sight not only because of its narrow width but also because this alley is famous for window prostitution.
Facade Tax
In seventeenth century Amsterdam, tax had to be paid for the width of the facade facing the canal. As no house owner wanted to pay this quite high tax, they came up with creative solutions.
The owner of Singel 7 kept the facade on the canal side very narrow and widened the house at the back. This saved him a lot of money.
* Narrowest facade: Singel 7
* Narrowest houses: Oude Hoogstraat 22 and Kloveniersburgwal 26
* Narrowest street: Trompettersteeg
Next article: Trippenhuis, widest canal house in Amsterdam
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