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Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

The historic urban ensemble of the canal district of Amsterdam was a project for a new ‘port city’ built at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. It comprises a network of canals to the west and south of the historic old town and the medieval port that encircled the old town and was accompanied by the repositioning inland of the city’s fortified boundaries, the Singelgracht. This was a long-term programme that involved extending the city by draining the swampland, using a system of canals in concentric arcs and filling in the intermediate spaces. These spaces allowed the development of a homogeneous urban ensemble including gabled houses and numerous monuments. This urban extension was the largest and most homogeneous of its time. It was a model of large-scale town planning, and served as a reference throughout the world until the 19th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1349

The Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht is a network of canals that were made to extend the medieval city center. The ring of canals is half-moon shaped.

The city was expanded several times in history, but at the most in the 17th century when Amsterdam had become a wealthy trade metropolis. The nucleus of the nomination lies along the Singel, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Prinsengracht. 

The core zone includes no less than 3,466 national monuments. Notable places include:

- Anne Frank House

- Rembrandtplein

- Groenlandsche Pakhuizen (warehouses)

- protestant churches (Westerkerk, Noorderkerk)

- clandestine churches (Mennonite, Remonstrant)

- almshouses

The houses are known for their variety in gables. Most of them are made of brick. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/amsterdam.html