Historische gevels met gevelstenen

Anyone who walks through the Jordaan sees them everywhere: beautiful historic façades with colourful gable stones. These sculpted stones are often placed above the front door and tell the story of the building. You find depictions of animals, ships, professions, biblical scenes and symbols that refer to the residents or their trade. Most gable stones date from the 17th and 18th centuries and turn a walk through the Jordaan into an open-air museum. So don’t only look straight ahead, but also look up – that is precisely where you discover the most beautiful hidden details of the district. Amsterdam still has hundreds of original gable stones, a large part of which can be found in and around the Jordaan.
Where do the gable stones come from?
Before Amsterdam had house numbers, homes had their own name. Instead of ‘number 12’ you lived, for example, in De Roode Leeuw, Het Lam or De Meeremin. The gable stone made clear which house you were looking for and at the same time served as a sign for a shop or trade. Only around 1800 were house numbers introduced, but fortunately the gable stones were preserved.
Fun fact
Did you know that around 700 historic gable stones can still be admired in Amsterdam? Volunteers have been committed for decades to restoring these small works of art and even giving them back their original colours. In this way the stories of the city are literally preserved in the façades.