Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Three things that make Amsterdam's old houses special:



Firstly, those decorative tops of the houses (gables), each house having its own pattern.
Secondly, some houses are so incredibly narrow that it's hard to imagine that you can actually live in them.
Finally, most buildings are built to lean forward with a big hook attached at the top. Why? Because all the furniture you want to move in or out of the house needs to be lifted through the windows, the staircases are far too narrow and too steep to allow any maneuvers. The hook at the top is for the rope on which the furniture is lifted and the leaning front helps you move things up without damaging the home or furniture.

*Some of the older buildings have started to lean sideways as well; this is because there foundation is layers of wood, which has started to rot. Nowadays the foundation is based on concrete. –xoko


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