Westelijke Eilanden

Westelijke Eilanden
Neighborhood of Amsterdam
Former warehouses on Prinseneiland
Former warehouses on Prinseneiland
Westelijke Eilanden is located in Amsterdam
Westelijke Eilanden
Westelijke Eilanden
Coordinates: 52°23′14.5″N 4°53′15.15″E / 52.387361°N 4.8875417°E / 52.387361; 4.8875417
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceNorth Holland
COROPAmsterdam
BoroughAmsterdam-Centrum
Area
 • Land0.22 km2 (0.08 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total2,900
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
Postcode
1013

Westelijke Eilanden (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌʋɛstələkə ˈʔɛilɑndə(n)]; "Western Islands") are three islands in the Centrum district of Amsterdam: Bickerseiland, Prinseneiland and Realeneiland. They are located to the south of the IJ and the Zeeheldenbuurt, to the north of the railway line between Central Station and Amsterdam-Sloterdijk, to the west of the Westerdok and to the east of the Planciusbuurt on the Westerkanaal. The Westelijke Eilanden form the core of the Golden Reael area, which also includes the adjacent Westerdok island, the Haarlemmerbuurt and the Planciusbuurt.

The Westelijke Eilanden form a small world apart from the city. They are suitable for walks, which Joannes Antonides van der Goes recommended in a poem, Ystroom, as early as 1671. They are often used for filming. There have always been warehouses and shipyards on the Westelijke Eilanden. They formed an important part of the atmosphere on the islands, a combination of working and living. The islands are sometimes called the "Mokum Archipelago".