Why houses in Amsterdam are crooked?

Question

I just came back from Amsterdam and one day,while we were there having a beer at this bar on the canal, my friend was like:"hey look at that house!it seems like it's going to fall". so, since then, for the rest of the weekend i started watching all of the houses there and most of them seemed crooked...so i wonder: is it something that they did on purpose or it just happend to became like that? (i dont know, maybe the ground wasnt enough flat or something like that)
hope somebody answers to me cause i bet money with my husband! ;)
well while i'm here i'm looking for this girl from Amsterdam named Carolina.she's tall and skinny, very pretty light brown hair and i think green eyes and if i remember good she has a lil brother.
we met at the camping margherita in rosolina (rovigo, italy) in 2004, i was the bartender there. My name is Venusja.if anybody thinks to know her pls let me know.i lost her number and i would like to keep in touch with her. well thanks everybody.

Answer 1

The fronts of almost all old houses in Amsterdam, and many other Dutch towns lean forwards.
That is how they were build.
I have heard several different explanations:
They seem bigger this way.
They had to pay tax on the size of the ground floor and did not have to pay extra for the bits the floors above did stick out.
The way they are build makes that the lower walls are a bit protected against the weather.

Many of the medieval houses in Europe had the higher floors sticking out over the lower floor.
(Often each next floor was bigger again.)

The oldest houses in Amsterdam still have the old timber framed houses within the brick walls, and the need to lean out to because the houses have been build with the upper floors sticking out.

Some of the houses lean over more than they should, you can recognize those, they have the wooden beams on the outside, they need work done on their structure or the beams and piles underneath the house. There used to be many more of those, most have been restored into good condition now.

Answer 2

Buildings In Amsterdam

Answer 3

Any answers that state the houses in Amsterdam lean forwards because the foundations are subsiding into the ground are wrong. Although Amsterdam is renowned for its canals and rainy climate, the buildings were purposefully designed that way – primarily to give extra clearance when hoisting goods and furniture from street level to the windows above.

The older buildings in Amsterdam are typically thin and long because property owners used to be taxed on the frontage, or width, of their buildings, rather than the height, floor space or number of windows. This inspired people to develop the ‘skinny’ buildings you see today. As a consequence, this made installing furniture or storing goods in the upper floors impractical at best, and for the most part impossible. Just walking up a set of stairs in a typical Amsterdam house makes you realise it would be impossible to move a piece of furniture or other large item up there without using a high window as access.

Check just below the roofs of these houses and you will often see a hook or pulley system, which was used for hoisting furniture and goods. Many of the oldest buildings in this former world-leading port were used (at least partially) as warehousing space for all manner of items (spices, wood, beer, etc) before they were shipped elsewhere.

If you still don't believe this to be true, take a closer look at the brickwork itself. You can clearly see that the individually stacked bricks have been offset against one another to create the 'leaning' effect. If the lean of Amsterdam buildings were due to subsidence, the bricks would run true with any straight object that was placed across them. This is simply not the case. Show me one building in Amsterdam that leans backwards and we’ll talk about subsidence.

All the best, and I hope you win your bet!

James

Answer 4

the houses were built crooked so goods could be tugged up, along a rope that runs through a look at the top of the roof. Most of the buildings in amsterdam centre used to be merchant warehouses in the 16th and 17th century. mosth ave been remoddeled by now.

Answer 5

In Amsterdam is a wide spectral range of attractions for recreational and ethnic sightseeing. They range between interesting previous houses, just like the Oude Kerk, to oddities such as the Hash

Answer 6

I don't know any websites, but do know that rooms are in short supply. You better look outside Amsterdam

Answer 7

If you are planning to start on your woodworking project, this isn't something you should use, it's something that you would be insane not to. Go here https://tr.im/T0OSg
Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.

Answer 8

All the houses are built on pilings sunk deep into soft soil. They gain added reinforcement by being built adjacent to one another, so each building "leans" on the others in a block.

Answer 9

Before concrete houses were founded on wooden poles. Fluctuating groundwater tables makes the wooden poles often rot.

Can't help you with the 2nd question, sorry.

Answer 10

well, amsterdam is know for their marijuana cafe's...well put two and two together and thats why their houses are crooked .