In the area where Amsterdam City Hall now stands, many Jewish families lived from around 1600 onwards. Although the neighbourhood always remained mixed, it became known as the “Jewish Quarter.” The adjacent Plantage area was largely undeveloped until around 1870, with country estates and pleasure gardens. During a period of economic growth, the Plantage transformed into a residential district for the more affluent. Many residents from the Jewish Quarter who prospered also moved there.
During the war, Jewish residents of Amsterdam were deported. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, much of the former Jewish Quarter was demolished. Nowhere else in the city, however, are there as many memorials and monuments commemorating Jewish Amsterdam, the persecution of Jews and the resistance as in the Plantage and the former Jewish Quarter.
This walking tour passes the most important of these sites. It begins and ends at the Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum), housed since 1999 in the historic Plancius building.
The podwalk is narrated by Job Cohen and consists of 23 episodes. Each episode contains an audio fragment about the location where you are standing. The notes include walking directions to the next stop, where you can listen to the corresponding episode.
The walk can be listened to and downloaded for free in your own podcast app. A walking map is also available.
English and German versions of the podwalk are available as well.
English version can be found here. Also see the map