Holland by Night

There is a small brook, originating in the dunes, flowing along the Great Market, and running into the Spaarne. A dam was laid in it's mouth in the Spaarne, to protect the city from possible flooding. In the fourteenth century there was a big wooden machine standing there to lift goods from ships on the Spaarne to small boats on the Beek. There was a small harbour on the Great Market to unload the boats. The Beek is an important link for all the buildings along the Great Market.