Amstel

Infobox River
river_name = Amstel


caption = Location of the river Amstel
origin = Aarkanaal
mouth = Amsterdam
basin_countries = Netherlands (North Holland)
length = 31 km (19 mi)
elevation =
mouth_elevation =
discharge =
watershed =

The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam.

The Amstel's name is derived from "Aeme stelle", old Dutch for "area abounding with water".

Geography

The river originally began where two smaller rivers, the Drecht and Kromme Mijdrecht, joined together, a little south of Uithoorn. After the construction of a canal, the Amstel-Drecht Kanaal, the river (including the canal) now begins where the Drecht and another canal, the Aarkanaal, meet one another, near the town of Nieuwveen. Tributary rivers are the Kromme Mijdrecht, Bullewijk and Waver.

The river's mouth is in Amsterdam, where it meets the IJ bay. However, in 1936 the last part of the river (called Rokin) was filled in, so the river now ends at Spui square, although it remains connected to the IJ through subterraneous pipes.

Amstel Island

The river contains only one island, named simply Amsteleiland (Amstel Island). The only road leading to it belongs to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, but the island itself is part of the municipality of Amstelveen. It has an area of roughly 0.05 km².

Places named after the river Amstel

Amsterdam took its name from the river. The city developed out of a small fishing village called "Amstelredam", built in the 13th century alongside a dam at the mouth of the river. The town was granted city rights around 1300. The hamlet developed into the small town "Amsteldam", which later became "Amsterdam".

The area through which the river passes is known as the Amstelland. The city and municipality of Amstelveen, the municipality of Ouder-Amstel, the towns of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel and Nes aan de Amstel are all named after the river as well. Amsterdam has a street called Amstel (along the river), a square called Amstelveld and a train station called Amsterdam Amstel.

In the former Dutch colonies in North America, a town was captured from the Swedes in 1655 and renamed Nieuw-Amstel. It is now known as New Castle, Delaware.

Bridges

The famous Magere Brug bridge in Amsterdam crosses the river, as do the Blauwbrug, Hoge Sluis and Berlagebrug bridges.

Other landmarks

The Stopera city hall and opera house and Carré theatre are both located on the banks of the river.

Events

A nationally televised concert is held on the river every year on "Bevrijdingsdag" (Liberation Day). The rowing races Head of the River Amstel and Heineken Roeivierkamp are held on the river annually. The river also forms part of the route of the Canal Parade, Amsterdam's annual floating gay pride parade.

Amstel beer

Amstel beer is also named after the river. The Amstel brewery was situated close to the Amstel river, and the river water was used to cool the beer.

The Amstel in art

Many artists that have painted or drawn the Amstel river, including:

*Aert van der Neer (1603-1677)
*Rembrandt (1609-1669)
*Willem Witsen (1860-1923)
*George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923)
*Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)
*Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873-1952)
*Frans Koppelaar (1943- )

Photo gallery