Staalmeestersbrug

The Staalmeestersbrug is a white, wooden drawbridge that spans the Groenburgwal canal. It earns its name from the Staalmeesters, the guild of cloth inspectors who held their office in the nearby Staalhof. The bridge holds a fame tied to a single painter. Rembrandt van Rijn frequently sketched the view from this spot, and he captured the bridge and its surrounding canal houses in his drawings. Today, many visitors lock padlocks to the metal railings, leaving behind symbols of their own journeys.