Amsterdam - Singel

The Singel was originally a moat, and the city wall ran where the odd-numbered houses now stand. On the other side of the wall lay Amsterdam's vegetable gardens and meadows (the Torensluis is one of the former passages to the gardens). When the city was enlarged and the wall lost its defensive function, it was demolished (c. 1600) and houses were built on the site. A walk along this canal is interesting because of the quaint details that emerge: No. 7 is no wider than a front door and is thus the narrowest house in Amsterdam. The bridge at the corner of the Oude Leliestraat has a cell just above water-level where men and women must have been put (separately) to sober up. Of particular architectural interest are Nos. 140-142, designed by