{"product_id":"old-street-map-of-amsterdam-1940-canal-ring-dam-square-vondelpark-rijksmuseum-ij-waterfront","title":"Old Street Map of Amsterdam, 1940: Canal Ring, Dam Square, Vondelpark, Rijksmuseum, IJ Waterfront","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompass of Amsterdam (Kompas van Amsterdam) presents the city at a decisive moment in 1940, distilled to a navigable clarity at the first-edition scale of 1:11,500. Issued by the Kompas publishing house of J. Smulders \u0026amp; Co. in The Hague, it exemplifies mid-century Dutch cartographic precision: districts neatly distinguished by color, major transport routes crisply threaded through the urban fabric, and landmarks keyed with purposeful restraint. As a city map, it is compelling not only for its legibility but for its timing—capturing Amsterdam’s complete pre-war street plan and waterfronts before the dislocations of the Second World War. Canals and district boundaries are set out with calm authority, turning the maze-like center into a lucid portrait that lets the reader stroll from the Amstel to the IJ by eye alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the core, the map celebrates the Grachtengordel, rendering Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht, and the Singel as a concentric armature around the historic city. Fine cross‑links—Reguliersgracht and Lijnbaansgracht—knit the ring to the lively arteries of Herenstraat and Vijzelgracht. The medieval heart is charted with telling directness: Damstraat radiates from Dam Square, Spuistraat parallels Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, and Zeedijk points toward the old waterfront. Westward, Haarlemmerstraat runs toward the docks, with Westerdok and the working streets of Spaarndammerstraat signaling the maritime economy. The map’s balanced emphasis on canals and streets explains Amsterdam’s unique logic: water shapes the ground plan, while narrow radial lanes pulse toward markets, churches, and civic buildings anchoring each neighborhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEqually persuasive is the cartographic attention to circulation. Stadhouderskade, Weteringschans, and Vijzelgracht define an inner ring that eases movement around the center, while Wibautstraat and Mauritskade guide traffic along the eastern flank. To the south, Van Woustraat spines De Pijp, bridging into the twentieth‑century extensions that culminate at the Amstel and the Utrechtsebrug. Vrijheidslaan appears as a broad axial statement of modern planning, tying the new quarters back to the river. Amstelstraat threads from the river into the old core, negotiating the seam between mercantile Amsterdam and its expanding residential belts. Together, these routes—rendered with unfussy, functional clarity—show a city reconciling medieval fabric and modern mobility on the eve of upheaval.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParks and cultural landmarks are deliberately foregrounded, revealing the civic landscape as much as its streets. Vondelpark unfurls beside Willemsparkweg and Zandpad; Museumplein and Van Baerlestraat align the Rijksmuseum and Concertgebouw in a grand cultural axis; Tweede Weteringplantsoen nestles along Weteringschans as a green pause within dense blocks. Eastward, Oosterpark flanks Mauritskade, while the Plantage with Artis Zoo sits just beyond, emphasizing Amsterdam’s habit of weaving gardens into urban life. Canal-side churches—Westerkerk along Prinsengracht and the Oude Kerk near Zeedijk—anchor familiar silhouettes. By marking green spaces alongside thoroughfares like Vijzelgracht and Singel, the map situates leisure and culture as integral to the city’s daily rhythm, not merely decorative margins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBehind this composure is J. Smulders \u0026amp; Co., a house renowned for travel maps and guides that privilege lucid design and practical detail. The Kompas imprint’s color-differentiated districts, clearly traced transport corridors, and exact street labeling make research and exploration equally intuitive. Yet the greater value is documentary: this sheet freezes Amsterdam just before wartime alterations, preserving alignments from Willemspark to Spaarndammerstraat, from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to Van Woustraat. It chronicles a maritime city modernizing in place—canal geometry intact, civic greens established, new boulevards like Vrijheidslaan asserting scale—offering scholars, collectors, and flâneurs a precise, time-stamped key to the streets and structures that defined the capital at a turning point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStreets and roads on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmstelstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDamstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGrootzijdse Zand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHaarlemmerstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHerengracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHerenstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeizersgracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLijnbaansgracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMauritskade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNieuwezijds Voorburgwal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrinsengracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReguliersgracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpaarndammerstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpuistraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStadsgracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStadhouderskade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUtrechtsebrug\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVan Baerlestraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVan Woustraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVijzelgracht\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeteringschans\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWibautstraat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWillemsparkweg\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZandpad\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZeedijk\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTweede Weteringplantsoen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVrijheidslaan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWesterdok\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWillemspark\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCanals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDistrict boundaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks and green spaces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMajor Transport routes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotable landmarks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1940: created during a transitional period before WWII, capturing Amsterdam prior to significant wartime changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirst edition published at a scale of 1:11,500.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReleased by the Kompas publishing house of J. Smulders \u0026amp; Co. in The Hague, known for travel maps and guides in the Netherlands.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign\/style: color scheme highlighting districts and transportation routes; clean, functional, mid-20th-century layout for easy navigation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFocus: city street layout, transportation routes, and landmarks within Amsterdam; serves as a historical record of streets and structures from this time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a very large map that must be ordered at a large size, so that you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x16in (40x40cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"16x16in (40x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612856877447,"sku":null,"price":110.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x16in (40x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612856910215,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x16in (40x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612856942983,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18x18in (45x45cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612856975751,"sku":null,"price":141.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18x18in (45x45cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857008519,"sku":null,"price":307.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18x18in (45x45cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857041287,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x24in (60x60cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857074055,"sku":null,"price":169.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x24in (60x60cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857106823,"sku":null,"price":423.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x24in (60x60cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857139591,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x30in (75x75cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857172359,"sku":null,"price":202.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x30in (75x75cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857205127,"sku":null,"price":547.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x30in (75x75cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857237895,"sku":null,"price":634.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"36x36in (90x90cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857270663,"sku":null,"price":221.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"36x36in (90x90cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857303431,"sku":null,"price":634.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"36x36in (90x90cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857336199,"sku":null,"price":634.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x45in (114x114cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857368967,"sku":null,"price":480.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x45in (114x114cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857401735,"sku":null,"price":1785.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x45in (114x114cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857434503,"sku":null,"price":1679.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50x50in (127x127cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857467271,"sku":null,"price":586.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50x50in (127x127cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857500039,"sku":null,"price":2686.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50x50in (127x127cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857532807,"sku":null,"price":2494.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"60x60in (150x150cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612857565575,"sku":null,"price":1084.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"60x60in (150x150cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612857598343,"sku":null,"price":3789.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"60x60in (150x150cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612857631111,"sku":null,"price":3597.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_5e8acdfd-0ab0-4f15-8656-1bc2be7b8d5c.jpg?v=1790928849","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.ca\/fr\/products\/old-street-map-of-amsterdam-1940-canal-ring-dam-square-vondelpark-rijksmuseum-ij-waterfront","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}