Montelbaanstoren, Amsterdam

The Montelbaanstoren is the tall tower beside the Oudeschans, and its story reaches from city defence to elaborate civic design. The original structure was built in 1516 as part of Amsterdam’s fortifications, protecting the city and harbour. In 1606, Hendrick de Keyser designed the decorative upper addition that brought the tower to its present height of 48m.

A striking twist came in 1610: the tower had been founded on layers of turf, settled out of alignment, and needed a new stone base before it could be straightened. Its name traces back to a proposed castle called Monte Albano, which was never constructed; the Dutch name gradually changed into Montelbaanstoren. The tower also carried the nickname Malle Jaap because its bells sometimes began ringing at irregular moments. Claude Monet painted it in 1874.