Amsterdam is full of iconic, narrow canal-side houses, but no building is as bizarrely small as the one at Oude Hoogstraat 22. Right next to the gate of De Waalse Kerk, this national historic landmark occupies just 10 square meters of land area.
But why was this little house actually built so extremely narrow?
The smallest house in the Netherlands (and Europe)
If you walk down Oude Hoogstraat, you’ll easily overlook it. With a facade 2.02 meters wide and a depth of 5 meters, number 22 is the smallest detached house in Amsterdam—and in Europe.
Yet many travel guides list Singel 7 as the narrowest house. That’s not correct: what you see there is just a very narrow rear facade that was built that way to evade taxes. Even the famous facade at Kloveniersburgwal 26 is considerably wider, at 2.44 meters. So Oude Hoogstraat 22 wins by a landslide.
The secret behind the 2-meter-wide building
In 1733 , the large building“Koning David” on Oude Hoogstraat was demolished. As a result, the city was left with a tiny plot of land measuring exactly 10 square meters.
To make the most of that narrow lot, the property was leased out. The clever builder made optimal use of every centimeter: at that time , building taxes were calculated based on the width of the front facade. Thus, in 1738, the narrowest house was built, which was only later given additional stories and an attic.
From a forgotten living space to a charming tea shop
After serving as a private residence for many years, this tiny national historic landmark was given a special new purpose in 2014. Niels and Kirsten transformed the historic location into Amsterdam’s smallest tea shop.
On the ground floor, you’ll find an extensive selection of fresh teas and treats. If you climb the narrow staircase, you can enjoy a cup of tea on the top two floors with a unique view of the old city center.
