Bruger:Santac/Skribentforside
http://www.searchforhotels.com/amsterdam/cityguide-weepingtower/
Weeping Tower - Amsterdam
The Weeping Tower (Schreierstoren), built in 1482, was originally part of a defense wall surrounding the city. Located where Feldersekade and Prins Hedrikkade meet, the building is said to have gotten its nickname from the wailing of women saying goodbye to their sea-faring husbands. One example of this is shown carved in white colored stone in the tower, a memory tablet marked 1566, which is said to commemorize a woman who was so heartsick by her husband's departure she immediately went insane.
Though called The Weeping Tower, and often referred to as Tower of Tears, the actual meaning has nothing to do with crying or weeping. The word “Schreiers” is defined as 'scray' or 'astride,' meaning that the building was erected on the corner between a duo of waterways. It was originally called the Schreyhoeckstoren, meaning the sharp corner where the Geldersekade and the Oudezijds Kolk come together.
During the Golden Ages the tower was used as a check point for VOC ships and the WIC sailing overseas. It was restored in 1996 as it was the only surviving tower of the old city wall. Visitors can grab lunch or a snack at the cafe, grab a drink at the pub, or browse the top floor, which has a shop with books, nautical equipment, and maps. The tower can be seen from Central Station and is filled with tales of history as well as legend.
http://www.jlgrealestate.com/English/Amsterdam_North/Inner_harbour/
Heading east from Central Station, you do not need to go far along Prins Hendrikkade before you arrive at the Schreierstoren (Tower of Tears) at Nos. 94 – 95. This is the oldest surviving tower in Amsterdam and was built in 1482 as part of the city walls. The tower got its name from the sailors’ wives and lovers who would stand here sadly as they watched their menfolk depart on voyages that could last months or years, and who might learn of the death of their partners when their ship returned.
The Schreierstoren stands at the head of a pretty canal side outlook, down Oudezijds Kolk towards Zeedijk, and along Geldersekade towards Nieuwmarkt. Today it houses an atmospheric bar – it could hardly be otherwise, given the setting – called the VOD Café, which takes its name from the Dutch initials for the United East India Company. It has attached to it three clues to Amsterdam’s nautical past.
http://www.amsterdamxl.com/amsterdam-the-netherlands/demography/
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