Nes

Nes Review

Nes is a refreshingly quiet corridor filled with theaters and restaurants; in earlier days it was packed with monasteries and convents, until the Alteration (or Protestant changeover), which kick-started Amsterdam's march toward the Golden Age. The Frascati Theater (No. 59-65) began life as a coffeehouse in the 18th century, but it wasn't until the 1880s that the Nes really blossomed with cafés filled with dance, song, and operetta performances; stars often represented the less uptight segment of the Jewish community. Adjacent to the southern end of the Nes is Gebed Zonder End, the "Prayer without End" alleyway, which got its name because it was said you could hear prayers from behind the walls of the convents that used to line this alley.