Transvaalbuurt, from Boer War to anti-apartheid
Dec 12, 2013 15:06:45 GMT
Post by lagatta on Dec 12, 2013 15:06:45 GMT
Transvaalbuurt is a neighbourhood (buurt, compare English "borough") in Eastern Amsterdam, planned at the turn of the last century. It is very similar to the Dapperbuurt and Indischebuurt neighbourhoods I know better a bit northeast of there, working-class neighbourhoods, planned to make life better for ordinary people. Like Indischebuurt, Transvaalbuurt has references to old Dutch colonial and trading history, but while Indischebuurt refers to what is mostly now Indonesia, Transvaalbuurt speaks of sympathy to the Boers in South Africa, seen as beleagered by the British.
translate.google.com/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.onsamsterdam.nl%2Ftijdschrift%2Fjaargang-2012%2F1396-nummer-4-april-2012%3Fstart%3D2
for those who read Dutch: www.onsamsterdam.nl/tijdschrift/jaargang-2012/1396-nummer-4-april-2012?start=2
As the article states, this working-class neighbourhood had a dramatic history before and during the Second World War. Many of the housing associations were founded by socialist Jewish workers, some of whom worked in the diamond trade (very skilled, and relatively well-paid work). They were mostly of Central European origins and while they probably had little sympathy for the Boers, they didn't particularly notice or care about the street names. Indeed, there was a second Jewish ghetto organised in this neighbourhood, and most of the residents were rounded up and sent to death camps.
As you read, many people didn't want streets renamed, in part out of respect for the memory of the former residents. However, there are monuments to the deported residents, in particular one for children.
I'm sure there will be pressure for a Mandelastraat or Mandelaplein now. We'll see.
Nowadays it is very cosmopolitan, and like pretty much everywhere in the central city, gentrifying to some extent, but there are still "autonomous" cafés and other venues. The Dutch built very high quality social housing.
translate.google.com/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.onsamsterdam.nl%2Ftijdschrift%2Fjaargang-2012%2F1396-nummer-4-april-2012%3Fstart%3D2
for those who read Dutch: www.onsamsterdam.nl/tijdschrift/jaargang-2012/1396-nummer-4-april-2012?start=2
As the article states, this working-class neighbourhood had a dramatic history before and during the Second World War. Many of the housing associations were founded by socialist Jewish workers, some of whom worked in the diamond trade (very skilled, and relatively well-paid work). They were mostly of Central European origins and while they probably had little sympathy for the Boers, they didn't particularly notice or care about the street names. Indeed, there was a second Jewish ghetto organised in this neighbourhood, and most of the residents were rounded up and sent to death camps.
As you read, many people didn't want streets renamed, in part out of respect for the memory of the former residents. However, there are monuments to the deported residents, in particular one for children.
I'm sure there will be pressure for a Mandelastraat or Mandelaplein now. We'll see.
Nowadays it is very cosmopolitan, and like pretty much everywhere in the central city, gentrifying to some extent, but there are still "autonomous" cafés and other venues. The Dutch built very high quality social housing.