Sloterdijk, Amsterdam 3.78

Sloterdijk is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 3 km northwest of the city centre. Since 2010 Sloterdijk has formed part of the stadsdeel of Amsterdam-West.Nearby is the site of Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway station.Early historyTo protect the area around Sloten from the as-yet undrained IJ the Spaarndammerdijk was laid along the south bank of this inlet. In this vicinity at the same time, a dam on the Slochter (or Slooter) river was built, the Slooterdam. Trade grew in the vicinity, and in 1465 a weigh house (or waag) was established. A church was built in about 1479; however, it was destroyed in 1573 by the Geuzen, a group of nobles rebelling against Spanish control of Holland, following the siege of Haarlem. In the 17th century the Petruskerk (St. Peter’s Church) was built, which stands to this day.Rail and tram linesThe construction of the Haarlemmertrekvaart in 1631 brought new prosperity to the village, and a toll was placed along the towpath.Industry grew around Sloterdijk in the 19th century. On 20 September 1839, the first train to operate in The Netherlands traveled from Sloterdijk to Haarlem. The new rail line between Amsterdam and Haarlem ran parallel to the Haarlemmertrekvaart, but for half a century the line passed through without stopping.