De Pijp

De Pijp is located in an area that used to be a sparsely populated polder before the 19th century. The pasture was scattered with hostels, country houses and polder houses. Due to the rapid growth of the population of Amsterdam at the end of the 19th century, a rigorous city expansion was necessary.

Within a short period of time, an entirely new district arose in Amsterdam, in the vernacular called ‘De Pijp’. This name probably refers to the long, narrow ditches that criss-crossed the former polder and were called ‘pijpen’ (pipes).

The new district accommodated many students, as well as a great number of ladies of easy virtue. Furthermore, various famous Dutch writers rented a room there, such as Herman Heijermans, Frederik van Eeden and F. Bordewijk. In De Pijp Eduard Jacobs laid the foundations of Dutch cabaret. Soon enough, the area became known as Amsterdam’s ‘Quartier Latin’.

From the beginning of the 1960s, the first immigrants settled in the neighbourhood. The first to arrive were the Spanish guest workers, who worked at the Heineken brewery at the Stadhouderskade. At a later stage, their families joined them here. Gradually, immigrants from many other countries started settling in De Pijp.

Nowadays, the higher income bracket is also present in De Pijp. Because of the escalating housing costs in the city centre, this district is populated mainly by successful thirty-something people. Various trendy restaurants and cafés settled there promptly.