Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht

In 1952, Amsterdam christened a new waterway. They named it Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht. It gracefully extends the Erasmusgracht through the Slotermeer neighborhood. The Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht curves and culminates in a turning basin. This basin sits near the poignant Plein ’40-’45. The gracht takes its name from Gijsbert van Tienhoven. He served as Amsterdam’s mayor from 1880 to 1891. Interestingly, Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht holds a unique distinction among the canals in Amsterdam’s Western Garden Cities. It’s the only one built entirely at the city’s standard water level. This level is -0.40m NAP. Later canals were constructed at the lower polder level of -2.10m NAP. Alongside Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht stretches the verdant Gerbrandypark. Two bridges, designed by Piet Kramer, span the canal. One is located on Burgemeester Fockstraat (bridge 609). The other graces Burgemeester Eliasstraat. It’s known as the Tineke Guilonardbrug (bridge 611). The 1935 General Expansion Plan originally envisioned extending Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht westward. This extension, intended to tunnel under Slotermeerlaan, aimed to connect Slotermeer, Geuzenveld, and Osdorp directly. However, this ambitious plan never materialized. The waters to the west and south of the Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht were constructed at the lower polder level. This difference in water levels made the connection impossible. At the end of Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht stands the Tuinstadhuis (Garden City House). Built in 1962, it originally served as the headquarters of the NVV (Dutch Federation of Trade Unions). Until the establishment of boroughs in 1990, the Burgemeester van Tienhovengracht fell within the Geuzenveld-Slotermeer district. Since 2010, it has been part of Amsterdam Nieuw-West.