The story of Amsterdam's Canal Ring
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, Amsterdam built a ring of three main canals — Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht — lined with merchants' houses. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its narrow houses with gabled tops lean slightly forward; hooks at the top were used to lift goods to upper floors. Today there are around 1,500 bridges across the city's canals.
