The story
If you listen closely for a moment, past the hum of the passing bicycles and the chatter of people outside the cafes, you might hear the rhythmic, metallic clatter of the number nineteen tram. As you walk down the Admiraal De Ruijterweg, you are following a path that was once nothing but water and wind-swept fields. Today, it is a long, bustling artery of West Amsterdam, but its name carries the weight of the deep sea and a man who spent nearly his entire life trying to master it.
The man behind the name is Michiel de Ruyter, born in 1607 in the coastal town of Vlissingen. He did not start as a grand figure of history. He began his career at sea as a simple cabin boy, but through a remarkable talent for navigation and leadership, he rose to become the Admiral-General of the Dutch fleet. He lived during the seventeenth century, a time when the young Dutch Republic was constantly fighting for its existence against the English and the French. De Ruyter became a national hero, most famously for leading a daring raid up the River Medway in England in 1667, where his fleet captured the flagship of the British navy. He died in 1676 from wounds sustained during a naval battle near Sicily, and he is now buried in a grand tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk on Dam Square.
But why is this long, inland street named after a sailor? For centuries, this area was actually part of the independent village of Sloten, consisting of quiet polders and a simple road leading toward Haarlem. It was not until the early twentieth century, around 1910, that Amsterdam began to expand into this territory. The city officially gave the street its current name during this period of growth, choosing to honor De Ruyter as part of a trend to name new neighborhoods after figures from the Dutch Golden Age.
As you walk, notice how the street feels a bit narrower than you might expect for such a major thoroughfare. It was specifically designed to accommodate the electric trams that have been running here for over a century. The buildings around you often feature the warm, orange-red brickwork and decorative masonry typical of the Amsterdam School style of architecture. This street serves as a vital backbone for the De Baarsjes neighborhood, connecting the older parts of the city near the Wiegbrug to the modern transport hubs of Sloterdijk.
Before you continue on your way, take a moment to look up at the windows on the second or third floors. You might notice small, ornate iron bars or unusual patterns in the brickwork between the frames. Somewhere along this stretch, try to find a house where the original wooden door still stands, and imagine the generations of Amsterdammers who have watched the world go by from those same doorsteps while the city grew up around them.