The thirsty history of Weesp and Amsterdam
Beer, gin and water. These 3 drinks play an important role in the history of Amsterdam and Weesp. When the Weespertrekvaart was built in 1639, contacts and trade between the two cities increased considerably. A dive into ‘wet’ history.
On March 24, the merger of Amsterdam and Weesp is a fact, but the ties between the two cities have been around for centuries. Due to the economic prosperity there was a need for a good and fast connection to the cities. After Haarlem, Weesp also got its own canal. From that time traveling became a lot more timer and faster.
Hiking
you can reach Weesp in 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam, but in the 17th century it was a bit different these days. There were no trains, carriages had no suspension, and the roads were muddy and bad. In addition, a toll had to be paid every so many kilometers. That is why most transport was by water.
In the 17th century, the tow barge was the way to travel. For 2.5 stuivers you could go from Amsterdam to Weesp and back 4 times a day via a fixed timetable. Previously, a considerable detour had to be made for transport over the turbulent Zuiderzee and the Vecht. Horses pulled the barge along the side towpath. It didn’t go fast, about 7 kilometers per hour. In Diemerbrug the service was split into a barge to Weesp and a barge to Muiden. On board it was a ‘cozy’ affair with 30 people in a cabin, where a lot of tobacco was also smoked. An acquaintance of the German poet Goethe once sat in a barge that went from Utrecht via Weesp to Amsterdam. He wrote that he came out like a ‘smoked pig’.
Clean water from the Vecht
But perhaps still goods of goods, was transport. It is striking that this mainly concerned drunkenness, in the first place clean drinking water. Amsterdam’s drinking water was notoriously filthy. Water ships went daily from Weesp to Amsterdam, with clean water from the Vecht. First for the beer brewers, but later a municipal service was added. Brewers even had an icebreaker available in the winter to ensure that the water supply was not compromised.
gin
Later several breweries moved to Weesp, where they had direct access to the clean water. But Weesp was best known for roasting gin. The gin distillers were banned from Amsterdam because of the stench that the production brought with it. The Wesopper Genever was very popular with the Amsterdam VOC, because it had a long shelf life due to the clean water. Genever from Weesp found its way to areas in the West and East via the Amsterdam harbor.
Cocoa and chocolate
In the 19th century, Weesp ten castle became known for its cocoa and chocolate. As far as China, they drank the cocoa drink from the Weesper factory, which was close to the largest cocoa port in the world: the port of Amsterdam.
Knowing more
Photo: Historical drawing of the beer quay in the Hoogstraat in Weesp.