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De Brakke Grond
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Don't let the ANNO 1624
fool you. This little gate, to be found between the Oudezijds
Voorburgwal
298 and 290, dates back to the late nineteenth century, and most of the
Renaissance elements are fake. Once, it was the eastern access to a
court
that was surrounded by several houses, built by the English distiller
John
Jorden between 1630 and 1633. This court was called De Brakke
Grond,
'the brackish yard'. The reason for this unusual name is that is named after the well of the medieval Monastery of Saint
Margareth. Because Amsterdam is built on peaty soil near a river, salty
water is unusual. |
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Here you see the monastery on a map by
Cornelis Anthonisz, made in 1544, shortly before Amsterdam became a
famous city and started to attract foreigners like John Jorden.Later, the houses he had built around the court were used to
sell colonial wares, especially tobacco. |
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After the loss of the
Dutch Indies, the rooms in the houses were let
out to people who wanted to celebrate parties. For example, the famous Ajax
left winger Piet Keizer married in De Brakke Grond. The entrance was
moved
to the west, to the street known as Nes, 'the wetlands'. Since 1962,
the
Brakke Grond was a theater, and in 1978, it was taken possession of by
the House of Culture
of Flanders,
which is the Dutch-speaking
part of Belgium. |
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The disastrous rift
between the Netherlands and Flanders was created
by religious differences (the south remaining Catholic when the north
became
Protestant), political opportunism, and the economic rivalry between
Antwerp
and Amsterdam. Some rivalry still exists. Belgians sometimes feel that
they are not taken entirely seriously by the Dutch; and indeed, Flemish
newspapers always have at least one page of news from the Netherlands
whereas
Dutch papers almost ignore the southern neighbors.
The indomitable, proud lion on this picture is the coat-of-arms of
the medieval count of Flanders (or, a lion rampant sable, armed and
langued
gules), which is now used as the flag of the Dutch-speaking community
in
Belgium. |
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The Brakke Grond is now
used as a theater, exposition room, and concert
hall. In this way, Amsterdammers can see the best stage productions
from
Flanders. There are several related organizations in Amsterdam (e.g.,
John
Adams Institute, Maison Descartes, and Goethe Institut), but the Brakke
Grond is the only one with a stage. The stone slab on the next picture,
at the Nes 45, commemorates the opening of the Flemish Cultural Center:
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Hoe cond' ick u,
myn Broeders, oyt vergeten,
daar
wy toch syn in eenen
stronck geplant?
("How can I ever forget you, my brothers, because we are planted on the
same root?"). This is a quote from Filips of Marnix, lord of
Sint-Aldegonde
(1540-1598), the mayor of Antwerp who wrote the Dutch national anthem Wilhelmus.
It is from his Schriftuerlicke Lof-Sangen,
'Biblical Odes'. |
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Although I have visited
some theater performances in the Brakke Grond,
I like the concerts best. With my friends Jolanda
and Lauren,
I must have attended almost every rock concert during the last three
seasons.
We always greatly enjoy ourselves because the bands are really good,
and
play as if their lives are at stake. For many bands, a concert in
Amsterdam
offers an opportunity to reach another audience. |
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Jolanda, who works for a
theater company, appears to enjoy every band;
Lauren has become a great fan of Rumplestitchkin. I have fond memories
of PJDS, Arsenal, and the Blackbox Revelation. The latter recently won
a contest between two Belgian and two Dutch bands, and I was really
impressed
by the two brothers, who make music that resembles both the White
Stripes
and Iggy & The Stooges. |
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After the concert, you can
meet the musicians in the nearby brasserie,
which is the technical term for a pub or café that
specializes in
beer. It always surprises me how accessible the guys are, and how
willing
to speak about their music. This makes the brasserie a really nice
place
to be. Another reason is that the barmaids, bartenders, and cooks are a
real team and work very hard, as if they have to live up to Marnix'
motto repos
ailleurs. |
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Among the regular
customers are Marian,
Marlous,
Marco,
but especially my good friend Richard,
who (not unlike me) is part of the furniture. Here, you see him
studying
Farsi. In about two years, he learned himself the language of modern
Iran.
Of course the utilization of refreshing Belgian draft beer has greatly
improved his learning facilities, but it should be added that Richard
has
the best of all possible teachers, a refugee named Sharona.
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This is the former
assistant-manager, Jessica, on her last working
day. If the quality of the brasserie has improved over the last year,
it
is to a large extent because she was a great host who made it very hard
for us regulars to act according to the maxim that one should never pal
up with the barmaid. It would be unkind to her former colleagues (and,
besides, untrue) to say that things aren't what they used to be, but
from
a personal point of view, we all sincerely miss her.
Finally, here
you can see the Brakke Grond from the air. |
©
Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org,
2006
Revision: 31 Dec. 2007 |
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