|
|
|
|
Schreierstoren Review
Read our Amsterdam sights reviews. Or post your own.
Schreierstoren
- Address: Prins Hendrikkade 94–95, Centrum, Amsterdam | Map It
- Category: Architectural Sites
- Location: Old City Center
Fodor's Review:
This is Amsterdam's most distinctive fortress tower. Today it's home to a café but it began life in 1486 as the end point of the city wall. The term schreiren suggests the Dutch word for wailing. As lore would have it, this "Weeping Tower" was where women came to cry when their sailor husbands left for sea and to cry again when they did not return. The word schreier actually comes from an Old Dutch word for a "sharp corner." It's also famous as the point from which Henry Hudson set sail to America. A plaque on the building tells you that he sailed on behalf of the Dutch East India Company to find a shorter route to the East Indies. In his failure, he came across Canada's Hudson Bay and later – continuing his bad-luck streak – New York harbor and the Hudson River. He eventually landed on Manhattan and named it New Amsterdam.
Get Advice From Other Travelers
- Amsterdam & Paris at night
8 responses; most recent on 09/25/2008, 08:50 pm - Daytrips from Amsterdam into Germany
8 responses; most recent on 09/24/2008, 01:23 pm - THALYS PARIS TO AMSTERDAM
7 responses; most recent on 09/17/2008, 03:09 pm - Lost cause on 2 night houseboat stay in Amsterdam?
6 responses; most recent on 09/16/2008, 05:35 pm
Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip >>
- Travel Deals
-
Barcelona, Paris & Amsterdam trio with flight$855+
EuropeanDestinations.com
Buy the Guidebook
-
$11.95
-
$19.95
Get the Fodor's Newsletter
Read the current issue
For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Browse previous issues.
