The canal houses of the Herengracht are some of the most photographed buildings in Europe. Part of the money that built them came from trade in enslaved people and from plantations worked by them. For a long time that history was barely mentioned on Amsterdam tours. It should be, and on ours it is.

This article sets out the main facts, using research published by Dutch institutions, and points to places in the city where the history can be seen and remembered.

The Dutch role in the transatlantic slave trade

The Dutch West India Company (WIC), founded in 1621, was given a monopoly on Dutch trade with West Africa and the Americas. From the mid-seventeenth century it became one of the major traffickers of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, supplying Dutch colonies such as Suriname and Curaçao as well as Spanish and other colonies. After the WIC's monopoly ended, private Dutch traders continued.

The Rijksmuseum, in its 2021 exhibition Slavery, put the number of enslaved Africans transported on Dutch ships at more than 600,000.

The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was also involved in slavery in Asia and around the Indian Ocean, including at the Cape Colony and in the Indonesian archipelago. This part of the history is less well known to visitors but was large in scale.

Amsterdam's direct involvement

Amsterdam was not only home to merchants who profited from these trades; the city itself took part. In 1683 the city of Amsterdam became one of three co-owners of the Society of Suriname (Sociëteit van Suriname), together with the WIC and the Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck family. The Society governed the colony, whose economy depended on plantations worked by enslaved people.

In 2020 the city published a major research report, led by historians including Pepijn Brandon, on Amsterdam's involvement in colonial slavery. It documented how deeply the city's government, merchants, bankers, and institutions were connected to the system.

Abolition and its limits

The Netherlands abolished slavery in Suriname and its Caribbean colonies on 1 July 1863, later than Britain and France. Even then, the formerly enslaved people in Suriname were required to continue working on plantations under state supervision for another ten years, until 1873. Slaveholders received compensation from the Dutch state; the enslaved received none.

Every year on 1 July, the end of slavery is commemorated and celebrated as Keti Koti ("the chains are broken" in Sranan Tongo), with a national commemoration at the Oosterpark.

Apologies

On 1 July 2021, Mayor Femke Halsema apologised on behalf of the city of Amsterdam for the city's involvement in colonial slavery. In December 2022, Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologised on behalf of the Dutch government, and on 1 July 2023, King Willem-Alexander apologised during the Keti Koti commemoration in Amsterdam.

Where to see and remember this history in Amsterdam

  • The Oost-Indisch Huis (Kloveniersburgwal) — the former VOC headquarters, now part of the University of Amsterdam.
  • The West-Indisch Huis (Herenmarkt) — where the WIC's directors met in the seventeenth century. It is often cited as the place where the company planned its settlement of New Amsterdam, later New York.
  • The canal ring — many merchant families on the Herengracht and Keizersgracht were involved in colonial trade. Our guide to Amsterdam canal ring history explains how the ring was financed and built.
  • The National Slavery Monument (Oosterpark) — unveiled in 2002, designed by Surinamese artist Erwin de Vries. It is the focus of the annual Keti Koti commemoration.
  • The Rijksmuseum — since the 2021 exhibition, the museum has added information about connections to slavery to objects in its permanent galleries.
  • Het Scheepvaartmuseum — for the maritime side of the VOC and WIC.

Why we include this on our tours

Our Golden Age City Center tour explains how the canal ring was built — and that means explaining where the money came from. We do not turn a walk into a lecture, but we do not skip this part either. Guests often tell us it changes the way they see the houses.

If this is a subject you want to explore in more depth, contact us to arrange a private route with more time on the colonial history of the city.

For the wider context, read the Dutch Golden Age in Amsterdam and our Amsterdam history guide.

Frequently asked questions

Was Amsterdam involved in the slave trade?

Yes. Amsterdam merchants, the Dutch West India Company, and the city government itself — as co-owner of the colony of Suriname from 1683 — were involved in the transatlantic slave trade and plantation slavery.

When did the Netherlands abolish slavery?

On 1 July 1863 in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean colonies. In Suriname, formerly enslaved people were forced to keep working under state supervision until 1873.

What is Keti Koti?

Keti Koti, held on 1 July, commemorates and celebrates the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies. The name means "the chains are broken" in Sranan Tongo.

Sources and further reading