The Muiderpoort on Alexanderplein exists for 250 years; in 1771 the gate was put into use as part of the fortifications of Amsterdam. The gatehouse had two predecessors; one 300 meters away from 1663, and one at the current location which sagged in 1769 due to poor foundation. The second Muiderpoort was designed by city architect Cornelis Rauws (1732-1772) in Louis XVI style. The sculpture was made by city sculptor Anthonie Ziesenis (1731-1801). The clock in the turret still dates from the old Muiderpoort, and was cast by the famous bell founders Pieter and Francois Hemony.
Of the gates that gave access to the city of Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Muiderpoort is the only surviving example. The gate used to be closed at night so that no one could enter or leave the city. Originally, all traffic went through the gate. In 1811 Napoleon entered Amsterdam through this gate in a carriage with 8 white horses.
In an architectural sense, the gate was the first important city building of the 18th century, built in the classicist style. The gate openings have the shape of a triumphal arch and an octagonal dome tower rests on it. On the side of the Tropenmuseum you can see the (then new) Amsterdam city coat of arms with the three Andrew’s crosses, on the city side the old city coat of arms with a medieval ship. A wooden model of the gate from 1769 is kept in the Amsterdam Museum.
Where once tolls and salt excise were levied, the Muiderpoort still has a fiscal function; the Dutch Association of Tax Advisers is located there.
More information in the booklet A walk through the Plantage of the Friends of De Plantage Association.
Various routes through the Plantage neighborhood lead past the Muiderpoort.