Noord then and now
Then: from swamplands to industry
For centuries, the area we now call Amsterdam-Noord was little more than a marshy expanse largely used for peat extraction. However, with the construction of the North Sea Canal in the late 19th century, everything began to change. Completely transforming the harbour, Amsterdam became accessible to steamboats, and with it came the demand that turned Noord into the city's industrial heart. Shipyards and warehouses sprung up along the riverbank, and workers flocked to this northern suburb, creating villages like Buiksloterdijk and Nieuwendam.
Now: an urban renaissance
Noord has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis over the past decade. This transformation reflects the Dutch flair and skill for reimagining urban spaces. Factories and warehouses across the neighbourhood have been reborn as thriving cultural centres. Take De Ceuvel: once a humble shipyard, it now serves as a sustainable haven for social and creative entrepreneurs, complete with a waterside café-restaurant and a floating hotel. This unique urban renewal project functions as a playground for green technology, with much of it operating off-grid. It also boasts a program full of events representing its ethos: tree planting days, sustainable markets, and talks exploring diversity and belonging.
At Hangar, a waterfront restaurant housed in a repurposed World War II storage space for aeroplanes, its raw industrial aesthetic is softened by warm candlelight and ambient conversation. Garage Noord, once a rundown car repair shop, is now a nightclub and Sichuan restaurant that has earned a cherished place in Amsterdam’s nightlife scene. And just next door, Skate Café offers a similarly quirky combination of clubbing and dining, not to mention the skateboarding ramp at its centre, all within an atmospheric warehouse. Its unique coming-together of subcultures, and as the evening continues, late-night techno revellers – is what makes Skate Café quintessentially Noord, an ode to its layers of past and present.
Tolhuistuin, the former canteen of Dutch oil monolith Shell, now hosts concerts by big music names, as well as more experimental events and art exhibits. During the summer, its sprawling gardens become a lively space for events ranging from offline meet-ups to creative workshops. Another standout in Noord's urban transformation is De Roze Tanker, a bright pink former gas station nestled in Noorderpark, which has been turned into an event space for young and old. Regularly hosting both public and private events such as music performances, film screenings, and even yoga classes, this charming and unconventional venue exemplifies Noord’s creative reinvention of old spaces.
