The long, old wall on the Kattenburgerstraat, past the Scheepvaartmuseum, has been designated a municipal monument. The huge Marineterrein is hidden behind the defensive wall. Now a monument, the wall will be preserved for the future. As a visible remnant of our rich maritime history.
The former Marinewerf was a secure enclosed area for the city of Amsterdam, with the defensive wall on one side and water on the other. The area has been open to the public since 2015. In the coming years, the site will slowly develop into a new urban district.
Traces of history
The wall on the Kattenburgerstraat consists largely of the rear facades of a continuous row of buildings, which have disappeared. There are traces to see from different periods of history. The oldest parts probably date from the 17th century, the northern part is from the late 20th century.
National monuments
The National Maritime Museum (opened in 1973) was also part of the shipyard, it was ‘the Zeemagazijn’. That building and the gatehouse on the Kattenburgerstraat are both national monuments.
From closed to open terrain
Step by step, the Marineterrein is changing from a closed military area to an open, new part of the city, with an emphasis on innovation. The Amsterdam innovation team is already there, together with a number of innovative companies that are tackling major issues of today and the future: climate, digitization and artificial intelligence, for example.
The Ministry of Defense is gradually taking more compact barracks into use. This creates space for a new neighborhood in which to work, live, learn and innovate. Construction will probably start in 2027. There will be around 800 homes and 2,300 workplaces for small innovative companies, students and Defense personnel.
More on the website of the municipality and the Marineterrein.