IJ

The IJ is a twelve-kilometre waterway running through Amsterdam, separating the historic centre from Amsterdam-Noord. It links the Markermeer to the east with the North Sea Canal to the west and measures between 150 and 600 metres wide. The waterway forms a major part of the city’s waterfront and once formed a broad bay connected to the Zuiderzee. Much of its western section was reclaimed during the construction of the North Sea Canal in the nineteenth century. The name IJ belongs to an old group of Dutch and Frisian water names meaning ‘water’. Older sources sometimes wrote it as Y, as in a print from 1663–64 titled Amsterdam van het Y aan te sien. The IJ is divided at the Oranje Locks into two principal sections: the Afgesloten IJ to the west and the Buiten-IJ to the east. The Afgesloten IJ continues into the North Sea Canal and connects to the North Sea through locks at IJmuiden. The Buiten-IJ opens into the IJmeer and Markermeer, with the Oranje Locks regulating water levels and restricting saltwater movement. The locks were completed in 1872, six years before the North Sea Canal was formally inaugurated by King William III. The canal works reshaped Amsterdam’s waterfront and enabled the construction of Amsterdam Centraal on reclaimed land. Visitors find a working waterway with regular ferry services linking the city centre to Amsterdam-Noord. The IJtunnel, opened in 1968, provides a major road crossing beneath the central section. Farther east, the Zeeburgertunnel carries the A10 motorway beneath the Buiten-IJ. The waterway is flanked by harbour installations and warehouses along the eastern shore. Amsterdam’s planning programme includes proposals for new fixed crossings for cyclists and pedestrians, though these remain under development. The IJ remains a vital link in the city’s transport network and a defining feature of its waterfront.