Amsterdam - Herengracht

Must-see attractions nearby: Royal Palace Dutch National Museum Municipal Museum Van Gogh Museum Old Church Jewish Historical Museum New Church

The layout of these gardens represented unbelievable luxury for a town which was on piles. A law declared that they could not be built on, an exception, however, was made for summer-houses and coach-houses. The "golden bocht", the golden arc of the Herengracht, with houses numbered 464-436 (between Vijzelstraat an Leidestraat) is especially noteworthy for its magnificently decorated houses. No. 527 Herengracht, built in 1667, has an interesting history; Tsar Peter the Great of Russia lived here during a visit to Holland. Today the patrician houses are mostly occupied by banks and offices or are used as museum buildings; they have become too large and too expensive to be used as dwellings. Here can be found the Theatrical Museum and the Willet Holthuysen Museum and also, at No. 470, the Goethe Institute.