Green gift for Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary: the EcoWal. Farewell silent quay wall, hello lively nature!

To celebrate Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, The Green Mile has given the city a green present: the very first EcoWal is now in the water! A lush oasis that offers space for all kinds of nature. A gift for everyone and every living creature that calls Amsterdam home: people, plants, and animals.

o what exactly is an EcoWal?(Pronounced like the Dutch word wal.)It’s a “nature-inclusive” wall placed against the quay, with both visible and hidden parts. Below the water, a structure made of recycled stones, branch bundles, and wooden poles creates shelter for fish, mussels, and small aquatic animals. Above the water, native plants root in coconut mats and untreated wool from Drenthe heath sheep from the Goois Nature Reserve. They clean the water, enrich the soil, and attract birds and insects. Together they form a living ecosystem— a wall that blooms and moves, connecting water, city, people, plants, and animals. Read more on our website.

Inspired by Utrecht, stichting Vergroening Singel030, where the first EcoWal in the Netherlands was created based on a design by Lies König, Amsterdam now has 40 meters of EcoWal. A huge milestone. A dream come true. Come take a look yourself!

You can find them next to the docks of De Nederlandsche Bank and along the pedestrian boulevard near Stadhouderskade 60. It’s autumn now, and nature is slowing down, but from March onward you’ll really start to see life above the water. In the meantime, we’ll also be mapping and revealing the life happening below the surface.

The EcoWal is also a symbol of what becomes possible when we dare to look through the eyes of nature. We add instead of subtract. We build on what’s already there—literally on the city’s foundations. We contribute to a greener future for Amsterdam, a future in which we live together with nature again, in symbiosis.

Let this be a step toward a future where canals and quay walls play a major role in boosting biodiversity (above and below water) and improving water quality across the city. Here you can find a selection of photos from the official opening.