Amsterdam Time Machine for the Jewish Neighborhood

Together with the Jewish Museum, the Amsterdam Time Machine has taken the initiative to connect datasets from various archives and collections about Jewish Amsterdam. Along with Menno den Engelse of Islands of Meaning, we started with two streets: the Jodenbreestraat and the Nieuwe Amstelstraat. The Jewish Museum has figured out who lived in which houses in these streets and the relationships between them. The cooperation allows us to combine the data collection of the Jewish Museum with Adamlink’s geo-infrastructure, the experience from earlier pilots with the ATM (Address Book 1907) and datasets from the Amsterdam City Archives, the NIOD and the IISG.

With this collaboration, we gain experience in aggregating and visualising data sources from different institutions. On the one hand, this experience will be used to demonstrate the possibilities of combining linked data sources in practice. That is also the reason why this pilot is supported by the Digital Heritage Network (NDE).

On the other hand, we are working on a public application for researchers, interested Amsterdammers and visitors to the Jewish Cultural Quarter (JCK). We are also explicitly looking at the possibilities of scaling up this type of application to larger parts of Amsterdam. With this project, in the run-up to the celebration of 750 years of Amsterdam, ATM wants to bring the dream of time travelling through Amsterdam’s history closer.

In the continuation of the pilot, we will connect 3D visualisations of historical buildings from the vanished Vlooienburg district and experiment with the optimal way to present the multitude of information.