Amsterdam Then & Now #5 : Barbiers-Bridge with little bridge houses

Building the bridge - Source (1927/1928)

The name "Barbiers-Bridge" doesn't go that far back. It only received its name in 2016, just a little over a year again. It has always been a pretty anonymous bridge, going by "bridge 404", "Ferdinand Bol bridge" or "Schelde bridge". It is now named after the Belgian/Dutch painters family Barbiers. And this way it fits in with the rest of the area. Like the rest of "De Pijp" (to the north of this bridge), streets are named after painters. It is just a minute away from the street named after Vincent van Gogh (check the @steemitworldmap link in the comments).

South of this bridge, you will find the "River-neighbourhood". You can guess it, streets are named after rivers here... I don't know why the bridge isn't named after a river.

The initial design of the bridge started in 1917, but due to WWI, construction had to wait until 1927/1928. In the meantime, Amsterdam had become a fast-growing city with a lot of apartments being built in the immediate surroundings. For the time being, there was a wooden bridge connecting both sides of the canal.

The bridge is pretty special, due to the 4 additional tiny houses (each 16m2) on the corners that served as shops. These tiny buildings fit the architectural Amsterdam School style that was so popular in those days.

There have been discussions about changing these into small hotel rooms, but I am happy that that didn't happen (yet). They can totally just book a room in the Okura hotel, that huge building in the background. I will probably write a blog about that later.

Building the Okura Hotel - Source (1970)

The corner that now has the Okura Hotel was part of the old RAI exhibition centre. When the RAI moved to a different location around the 1960s the question was what to do with the area. I found a folder of a large fair being held there, and also emergency school blocks have been there. By the end of that decade, the wooden school buildings caught fire and everything was completely destroyed. Was it a way of Amsterdam to get what they wanted? To destroy the whole street and completely rebuild it? From the early 1900s, there have always been plans for an opera, which made the Okura Hotel decide to build a hotel there. The hotel came, the opera moved to a different location.

No hotel, no tram, no parking lot - Source (1929)

And so the view of the bridge both changed drastically and stayed the same. The little bridge houses are now occupied by small companies. There is also a small Italian restaurant located in one of the houses, that allows you to order from the canal so you don't have to leave your boat. They actually have a door on the side of the canal.

I personally love this bridge, especially during summer. Like most other bridges in Amsterdam, they hang huge flower baskets on the railings. It really turns this small bit of Amsterdam into an amazing spot that I am very proud of!!

Also in this series:

• Amsterdam Then & Now #1 : De Dageraad
• Amsterdam Then & Now #2 : "Coöperatiehof" / Cooperation Court
• Amsterdam Then & Now #3 : Flowers at Cornelis Troostplein
• Amsterdam Then & Now #4 : Old convent & school at Cornelis Troostplein