De Plantijn – History

The Plantijn is located in the heart of Slotervaart, a neighborhood that was established in the 1950s as one of the western garden cities to expand Amsterdam. The name of Slotervaart is derived from the canal of the same name that used to be in this area, connecting Sloten with the Overtoom. Sloten was still a small village at the time and was only later incorporated and absorbed by the city.

The area became increasingly populated in the following years. To relieve outdated hospitals in the rest of the city, construction of the Slotervaart Hospital began in 1971, making the area a household name in healthcare in Amsterdam and surrounding areas.

In addition to the Slotervaart Hospital, the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek also established itself here, then still under the name of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Cordaan also moved in with its rehabilitation and care department ‘Hof van Sloten’, and the blood bank completed the group that gave an extra boost to the healthcare character of this part of Amsterdam. The buildings remained standing all those years, although the names of the institutions changed. For example, the blood bank eventually became Sanquin, and the Slotervaart Hospital is no longer a hospital.