Project plan for the expansion of Willemstad

Title Leupe: Plan van de Willemstad en het fortress Amsterdam.

This plan was made when Willemstad became overpopulated in the opening years of the 18th century. This proposal for expanding the city was approved by the Gentlemen Ten on 17 April 1707. It was drawn by cannoneer and bombardier Jacob Daniël Gebhart, one of the many Germans in Company service. Beck’s plan, as did the anonymous plan drawn up shortly before (see VEL1439), designated the terrain between the sea, the southern town wall and the eastern side of Fort Amsterdam for the planned expansion, but its layout was much wider in scope. The new town quarter (O) should be surrounded by a massive wall (Q) with three large bulwarks (P, R, S), which in conjunction with the adjoining fort and the older town wall would turn the settlement into one large fortification. For this, the cemetery would have to be moved to Otrabanda, on the other side of Sint Anna Bay. It would also be possible to undertake new building work in existing Willemstad, by filling in a strip of land on Sint Anna Bay and granting it in new plots of land (T), that is, between the present Heerenstraat and the Handelskade. Only this last part of the plan was actually accomplished, in 1708 and the years immediately afterwards.

North is lower left.

Scale-bar of 100 Rhineland feet = [approximately 1 : 105].