Houthaven

Houthaven
NeighbourhoodofAmsterdam
A view of Oude Houthaven
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Municipality	Amsterdam
Borough	West
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)

Houthavenis a neighbourhood ofAmsterdam,Netherlandssituated in theWestborough. Literally meaning "lumberport",Houthaven is a port situated along theIJin Amsterdam'swestern port.It is bordered by a dam in the IJ river to the north and theSpaarndammerbuurtin the south. It is currently predominantly used by inland barges, however plans are in motion to radically change the area in the next few years by building a new residential area on sevenartificial islands.

The harbour is made up out of four parts (from east to west): Oude Houthaven (Old Lumber Port), Houthaven, Nieuwe Houthaven (New Lumber Port) and Minervahaven (Minerva Port). This is why the Houthaven is also referred to as the Houthavens (which is the plural).

History

The Houthaven was dug out in 1876, together with theNorth Sea Canal.It was the first port in Amsterdam to be dug out (the earlier ones using existing waters). Its purpose was totranshipand store lumber. As lumber was increasingly transported by road, parts of the port were filled up with sand to be used for other purposes in 1945. The Minervahaven remained in use for lumber transhipment andwood processingindustry was located there but port-related activities decreased strongly over time. The area is currently being redeveloped.