Plotersgracht

The Plotersgracht is defined by the steep, narrow brick arch that bridges the canal, a quiet survivor of the medieval textile trade. This spot once bustled with fullers who stomped on wet woolen cloth in wooden tubs to thicken it. In the sixteenth century, the authorities strictly regulated the workers here because the intense physical labor and the chemicals used in the process frequently polluted the canal water. The arch remains, though the fullers and their tubs disappeared centuries ago.