Amsterdam - Mint Tower Munttoren or Montelbaan

The name "Mint tower" dates from 1672 when, for two years, Amsterdam was the site of the mint while the French occupied Utrecht where coins were usually minted. The Munttoren is part of the medieval city walls which were almost completely destroyed in the great fire of 1818. The lower part of the tower was left standing. On the remaining stones the city architect Henrick de Keyser placed a wooden structure (with a carillon by Hemony) and a gilded weathervane in the shape of an ox, as a reminder of the calf market which had been held on the nearby Dam. When this weathervane fell from the top of the tower during a storm in 1840 it was replaced by the usual weathercock.