Galgenstraat

Galgenstraat is a narrow, nondescript lane tucked into the Haarlemmerbuurt. Its name translates to Gallows Street, a blunt reminder of its past function. In the seventeenth century, the city carried out executions on a field nearby, and this path served as the grim route for prisoners taken to the gallows. While the neighborhood now consists of quiet homes and local shops, the street carries that name as a permanent, cold record of the public justice that played out here centuries ago.