This tower received its name in 1672, when French troops occupied much of the surrounding Republic and Amsterdam was given the right to mint its own coins here for a brief two-year period. Although the spire was added by Hendrick de Keyser in 1620, the medieval tower and the adjoining guardhouse were part of a gate in the city's fortifying wall from 1490. The guardhouse, which now houses a touristy Dutch porcelain shop, has a gable stone above its entrance, which portrays two men and a dog in a boat. This is a symbolic representation of the city, where warrior and merchant bonded together by loyalty—that would be the dog—are sailing toward the future.
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