Magere Brug
The Magere Brug, or Skinny Bridge, is a white wooden drawbridge across the river Amstel. There has been a bridge here since 1691; the present one dates from 1934 and still opens for passing boats.
The story goes that two rich sisters lived on opposite banks and had this bridge built so they could visit each other. Their name, conveniently, was Mager.
It is a nice story and there is no evidence for it. “Mager” is simply the Dutch word for thin, and the real explanation is in the name. The first bridge here, built in 1691, was so narrow that two people could barely pass on it.
That bridge was a long one, with thirteen arches. By 1871 it was worn out and was replaced with another wooden bridge. When that one wore out in its turn there were plans for something modern in steel and stone. They came to nothing: in 1934 the bridge was rebuilt in wood, to the old pattern, and that is what you are looking at.
This is the river the city is named after. Amsterdam is the dam on the Amstel, and the dam itself was more than a kilometre downstream from here, where Dam Square is now. Everything that reached the city from the south came down this water.
The middle of the bridge still opens. It is raised many times a day to let boats through, and since 2003 nothing with an engine has been allowed across it. Only walkers and cyclists use it now.
What to look for
How it lifts
The beams overhead are counterweights. When the bridge opens, the heavy ends swing down and the two halves of the roadway rise.
After dark
Come back in the evening if you can. The whole outline of the bridge is lit with small lamps, and it is one of the most photographed views in the city.
The width of the river
Compare the Amstel with the canals. The canals were dug; this is the natural river they were all connected to.
Key facts
- First bridge here
- 1691
- Present bridge
- 1934
- Type
- Double-leaf wooden drawbridge
- Crosses
- The river Amstel
- Address
- Amstel, at Kerkstraat, Amsterdam Directions
Close by
The bigger picture
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The dates, names and figures on this page were checked against published references. These are the records for this place. The story is Lookstory’s own telling of them. Last updated October 2026.