Talk:Jordaan

Origen of the name

The third theory would be that before Hitler's misdeeds this was a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. Peter Horn User talk 00:52, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

According to whom? Jvhertum (talk) 12:57, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

My late father, who was born and raised in Amsterdam (1903-04-21 or 22 to 1990-05-27 in Mill Bay, British Columbia), often referred to this as such, a jewish neighbourhood. Peter Horn User talk 18:11, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

The article Jodenbreestraat would appear to point in that direction. (quote) "The street was originally part of the Sint Antoniesbreestraat. In the 17th century, many Jewish emigrants from Portugal and Spain settled in the neighbourhood, and in the second half of the century, the southern section of the Sint Antoniesbreestraat came to be known as Jodenbreestraat ("Jewish Broad Street")."
May be my brother Michiel Horn, professor emeritus of York University (Glendon College) can help. I'd have to e-mail him. Peter Horn User talk 18:47, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

The Jordaan was not the Jewish neighbourhood of Amsterdam. This area was located further east. The Jodenbreestraat is not in the Jordaan but in the former Jewish quarter. Jvhertum (talk) 11:45, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

There is a good explanation of the name in the Dutch wikipedia nl:Jordaan (Amsterdam)#De naam Jordaan. The name was first mentioned in 1718 in a poem "Lof der Jenever" ("In Praise of Gin") by Robert Hennebo. With "Jordaan" he then meant the "Prinsengracht" (originally called 'Het Nieuwe Werck' - "The new construction"). From 1733 on, the term "Jordaan" referred also to the area around the Prinsengracht. As a less likely theory the name "Jordaan" was given by French Huguenots at the end of the 17th century, referring to the French word "jardin" (garden) because many streets in the area had the name of flowers. This is not supported by any publication. Another possibility was that is was named after the river Jordanne in the Massif Central in France, where a number of immigrants originated. There was also an alley called "Jordaensgang" (I presume after the painter Jacob Jordaens). Still another possibility is the referral to a baptist congregation in the neighbourhood that performed baptism in the way John the Baptist did in the Jordan. A last possibility is a corruption of the word "Jurisdictie" (jurisdiction) (as the area was called before the Prinsengracht was dug) to "Jordiks" (and from there to "Jordaan"). The first explanation is probably the most likely. In the Dutch wikipedia there is no referral to a Jewish origin. JoJan (talk) 18:58, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

JoJan has been enlightening. So, as the saying goes, the real origen of the name "Jordaan" "has been lost in the mist of time". Peter Horn User talk 16:20, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

Any body care to undertake the translation of nl:Jordaan (Amsterdam)#De naam Jordaan? I may copy and paste it into one of my sandboxes or into a "Document WordPad" and take a shot at it there. Peter Horn User talk 16:45, 14 March 2011 (UTC) Peter Horn User talk 16:46, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

That section, although interesting, is missing references, so we cannot verify whether the information is correct. Jvhertum (talk) 08:16, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

‘Traditionally leftwing’

It’s not worth a quibble, but I think the ‘traditionally’ part is not accurate. In the 19th century, Jordanezen were a conservative lot who felt strongly attached to monarchy and royalty. The street called Willemsstraat (formerly Fransche Pad and Goudsbloemgracht; the s after Willem looks somewhat strange to Dutch eyes) was named for King William I (1772-1843) in 1857, at the request of the local population (J.A. Wiersma, De naam van onze straat). Enthusiastic support for the House of Orange, often with an alcoholic tinge, endured into the 20th century. GdB (talk) 09:29, 13 June 2020 (UTC)