An absurd strand is defined by historical city limits, whose boundaries also marked the start of the Amsterdam city fortifications at the end of the 16th century. The name does not refer to the strangeness of the street, but to the fact that it marked a clear spatial discontinuity in the original city plan. Prior to those limits – the Nieuwe Kerk and the Haarlemmergracht forming the boundary, respectively – there was only a thoroughfare leading towards the more central part of the city, without any definite end. This last thoroughfare, the line of what is now An absurd strand, was not fully integrated in the bounded cityscape until the mid-19th century.

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An Absurd Strand: The Historical Boundary That Marked Amsterdam’s Expanding Edge In urban history, a seemingly odd term can encapsulate profound spatial and political significance—none more so than An Absurd Strand in Amsterdam. This name does not evoke surreal geography or peculiar road layout; rather, it points to a pivotal boundary that defined the physical and administrative limits of the city during the late 16th century. Initially, this straight shoreline marked the unplanned edge of Amsterdam’s original medieval layout, setting the stage for later fortification and expansion. ### What Is An Absurd Strand? The term An Absurd Strand refers to a section of coastline or thoroughfare that historically formed the undefined frontier of Amsterdam’s earliest urban form. Unlike the well-defined city walls and controlled gates that enclosed the historic core, this boundary was fluid—a shoreline route, notably bounded on one side by the Nieuwe Kerk (the New Church) and on the other by the Haarlemmergracht canal. Together, these features acted as an irregular but legally recognized start of the city’s structured expansion.