Across the Herengracht stands the Koningssluis bridge. It’s more than just a bridge. It’s a silent storyteller. Its story begins long ago. A bridge has existed here for centuries. Daniel Stalpaert’s 1662 city plan shows it. Even then a bridge connected the Koningsplein and Leidsestraat.
The Koningssluis we see today has a more recent history. The municipality decided in 1916 that the Leidsestraat would be Amsterdam’s main thoroughfare to the southwest. Not a filled-in Leidsegracht. They allocated 140000 guilders to redesign three Leidsestraat bridges. Jo van der Mey designed them. World War I inflation halted the project. But in 1920 the budget doubled. The project restarted.
The Koningssluis was built in 1921. It rests partly on the foundations of an earlier bridge. The Amsterdam Public Works Department built it. Piet Kramer the city’s new bridge architect adapted the designs. His designs for bridges 43 and the Aalmoezeniersbrug were also adapted. They’re attributed to “his office”. Kramer’s Amsterdam School style is evident. Brick and natural stone intertwine. Ornate wrought-iron balustrades grace the sides. Hildo Krop sculpted the mythical beasts on the corners in 1916. Van der Mey designed the projecting stonework on the bridge’s piers.
Interestingly years later the city deemed the Leidsestraat unnecessary for city traffic. The wider Rozengracht and Vijzelstraat better suited that role. The Leidsestraat became a pedestrian area in the 1970s. Tram lines 2 and 12 now run across the Koningssluis. The tram stop is on Koningsplein. The Koningssluis became a national monument in 2001.
The bridge’s beauty remains. Its history whispers of bygone eras. The Koningssluis is more than just a way across the water. It’s a link to Amsterdam’s past present and future. A bridge of stories waiting to be discovered.