Location:
Brouwergracht: The 'Brewers'
Canal' owes its name to 16th and 17th century brewery pakhuizen
(warehouses), many now chic apartments. Attractively restored, De
Kroon (The Crown) at No 118, and the modern Blauwe Burgt apartment
block show how old and new are trying to live in harmony. The point
where Brouwersgracht joins Prinsengracht is one of the most photogenic
spots in town. At Herenmarkt, off Brouwersgracht, is West-Indisch
Huis (West India House), which in 1623 became the Dutch West India
Company's headquarters. In its courtyard is a bronze statue of Peter
Stuyvesant, governor of Nieuw Amsterdam from 1646 until 1664, when
the British took over and renamed it New York. A sculpture depicts
the first Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island, founded in 1624.
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