Munttoren

This guide to the Munttoren in Amsterdam is set in 1672, the Rampjaar, when France and England declared war on the Dutch Republic at once and Amsterdam found its usual mints cut off behind enemy lines. It follows what the city improvised at the base of this tower to keep its soldiers paid, and traces the tower itself back to a 1480 gatehouse, a 1618 fire, and the architect who rebuilt it. Listen for the Hemony carillon still ringing on the quarter hour.