Bickerswerf

The Bickerswerf is one of three man-made islands in Amsterdam’s harbor, built in the early seventeenth century by a wealthy merchant named Jan Bicker. His family turned this artificial spit of land into a massive shipbuilding empire. At the height of their influence, the Bicker yards launched massive merchant vessels that traded in the Baltic and the Mediterranean. Jan Bicker once famously closed his shipyard gates to prevent the city’s mayor from inspecting his work, claiming he held private authority over the island.