The part of the canal ring you are walking through now is called the ‘negen straatjes’ or nine streets, named after the nine different side-streets connecting the three main canals of the canal ring. Wolvenstraat, which you are on now, is the most central of these nine side-streets.

This part of the canal ring, the ‘negen straatjes’, has its own special ambiance, and it is popular among tourists who love to spend entire mornings or afternoons wandering around the area. This trendy district, which boasts all sorts of stylish boutiques, cafés and galleries, is much quieter compared to Leidsestraat and the area around Leidseplein, which we will come to in a minute. The tiny shops that are so abundant in the ‘negen straatjes’ soon make way for large chain stores when you reach Leidsestraat.

Walking through the ‘negen straatjes’, you can clearly see how the different blocks of houses are distributed along the canals: the largest and grandest houses, where the wealthy merchants resided, line the canals while the middle classes lived in the side-streets. That explains why the houses on the side-streets are smaller and are less decorative.