Beware of the Rug: If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 485

Thursday, January 7, 2021

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 485

Canal District, Amsterdam, Netherlands, ca 1977

This used postcard mailed from Amesterdam has a cancellation date of 28 August 1977. A small map indicating the location and a title written in Dutch, English, French and German appears at the upper left corner on the reverse. The identifying number CO 751 is found at the lower right corner on the reverse. Harry de Bruijn, is credited with the photograph and Euro Color Cards as the publisher/distributor.

The Canal District or Grachtengordel is an area in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. This district was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010. There are four main canals in the city: Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht. In addition to these four main canals there are several smaller canals in this same area that ring the city. Reguliersgracht, established in 1658 shown on the card, is one of the smaller canals in the district.

[photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reguliersgracht]

This aerial picture from Wikipedia.org shows how the many canals ring the city.

Many of the buildings along the canals date from the Dutch Golden Age, 17^th century. Over time most of these buildings have undergone some reconstruction or restoration. Several different architectural styles and facades are represented. The picture on the card shows a couple of the many small bridges that cross over the canals. Several museums and The Anne Frank House are located in this neighborhood.

Of course, there are many canals in the countryside of Holland as well. Communal green spaces for animal grazing can be found along the canals. People had small boats tied up all along the waterway. They are hard to see, but the white spots in the background are sheep. These photos were taken while on a trip in 1982.