KNSM Island

Coordinates: 52°22′37″N 4°56′34″E / 52.37694°N 4.94278°E / 52.37694; 4.94278
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
KNSM Island
Neighborhood of Amsterdam
KNSM Island as seen from Sporenburg: Left: Piraeus, right: Skydome & Albert
KNSM Island as seen from Sporenburg: Left: Piraeus, right: Skydome & Albert
Coordinates: 52°22′37″N 4°56′34″E / 52.37694°N 4.94278°E / 52.37694; 4.94278
CountryNetherlands
CityAmsterdam
Constructed1903
Named forKoninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (KNSM)
Websitehttp://www.buurt-online.nl/amsterdam/knsmeiland/

The KNSM Island is a man-made island

Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot-Maatschappij, the Royal Dutch Steamboat Shipping company which used to have its headquarters and its docks on the island.[2] It is now a large residential area containing modern architecture with a mostly well-off population.[3]

History

Originally the island was a

Java Island. The islands level was later raised with soil dredged from the North Sea Canal, creating a harbor. In 1903, the KNSM occupied this harbor terrain that covered most of the island. In 1956 the KNSM celebrated its centennial, but the decolonization of the Dutch East Indies and the growth of cargo transport marked the end of the company. KNSM moved parts of its operations to the Western Docklands of Amsterdam and ceased others, finally leaving the island in 1977. In 1981 it merged with other major shipping companies to become Nedlloyd
. During the 1980s,
squatters, artists, and urban nomads occupied the area.[4] In the 1990s, groups occupying what had come to be known as "sloaps" ("sites left over after [or before] planning") who were originally tolerated by the municipality were slowly ordered to leave.[5]

Redevelopment

KNSM Island as seen from Zeeburgereiland. Left: Piraeus, Skydome & Albert, right: Emerald Empire

In the 1990s the entire area was reshaped into a housing area, based on a 1988 blueprint by

yuppies;[11] the English paper The Telegraph called it "Dockland chic."[7]

Loods 6, a building typifying 1950s design and architecture currently contains artists' work spaces, a gallery, and an art exchange [12] also houses an exposition dedicated to the island's history. The former company park, built in 1956, was preserved and restored in 1994 with the help of original designer Mien Ruys; and was renamed in her honor to Mien Ruysplantsoen.[13]

Accessibility

The Azartplein links the KNSM Island to the Java Island, and is the final stop of tram line 7.

New buildings on the island

Amphitrite

When the KNSM celebrated its centennial, in 1959, the employees donated a group of sculptures and a fountain, dedicated to

Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum.[17] In 2009 they returned to the island in the Azartplein.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ "Oostelijk Havengebied Amsterdam | KNSM-eiland".
  2. ^ "KNSM heeft straks geen eigen schepen meer". Trouw. 3 September 1996. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  3. ^ "KNSM-eiland". Oostelijk Havengebied Amsterdam. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Achtergrond van het KNSM-Eiland". VPRO. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  5. ^ Coolen, Barbara (9 April 1993). "Amsterdam wil deel 'nomaden' gedogen/'Het beleid blijft tegengaan van magneetwerking'". Trouw. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  6. ^ Englert, Klaus (19 January 2004). ""Die Niederlande neu gestalten" Jo Coenen als niederländischer Reichsbaumeister". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  7. ^ a b Mawer, Fred (17 September 2005). "Dockland chic in the city of canals". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  8. ^ Roos, Robbert (30 April 1998). "Java-eiland en Borneo/Sporenburg: speeltuin voor architecten in het Oostelijk Havengebied". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  9. ^ Haastrecht, Ruud van (25 July 1996). "Het Oostelijk havengebied in Amsterdam is de springplank naar IJburg in zee". Trouw. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  10. ^ Evenhuis, Arend (14 April 1994). "Het KNSM-eiland is ingenomen en meteen weer vol". Trouw. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Leven en Werken - deel 1". VPRO. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  12. ^ "Amsterdamse schatten: fashion en design: Stad verrast constant met nieuw talent op onverwachte plekken". TourPRessHolland. Retrieved 17 May 2010.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Kunstwerken a tot z: Buurttafel - Mien Ruysplantsoen". Kunstwerken op straat. Stadsdeel Zeeburg, Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 9 August 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  14. ^ "Woongebouw "Piraeus"" (in Dutch). Architectuur.org. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Woongebouw "Albert"" (in Dutch). Architectuur.org. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  16. ^ "Woontoren Sky Dome" (in Dutch). Architectuur.org. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Moet Amphitrite terug naar KNSM-eiland?". Zeeburg Nieuws. 12 May 2000. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  18. ^ "Onthulling Amphitrite". De Echo. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Amphitrite eindelijk thuis". De Echo. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.[permanent dead link]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to KNSM-eiland.
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