Special spots: these students live at unique locations
While some students struggle to find a place to live in Amsterdam, others have been extremely lucky with their living situation. These three UvA students live in the most unusual places in Amsterdam.
Maya Baumann (21), a Master’s student in international criminal law, lives in Molsteeg, a stone’s throw from Dam Square.
“I’ve been living here for three years now, with a few fellow students. It’s convenient to live so centrally, because you can get anywhere quickly, but there’s also a really nice atmosphere here. When I step outside, there’s plenty to do within 500 metres. It’s bursting with cafés, including our regular pub, Van Zuylen.”
“The noise can be a bit annoying at times. When I look outside from the living room, there’s always something going on in the street. We can hear everything that’s happening on Dam Square, especially now that there are so many demonstrations, which we can hear from inside. Because we live so centrally, we’ve had lots of friends over the years. We’re a kind of hotspot.”
Biology and mathematics student Marijne Buhrman (22) lives in the Oudemanhuispoort.
“My brother was one of the first students to live here, so I ended up here four years ago through him. It’s great fun, I have nice housemates, but above all, the location is special, of course. I don’t think I’ll ever live in a better place than here. Unfortunately, I don’t have any classes in the Oudemanhuispoort myself, but I have secretly walked into an art history lecture. Just for the experience, since it’s so close.”
“As far as crowds go, it’s actually not too bad here on the street, except for the occasional tourist. You can tell it’s a historic building by how carefully the UvA treats it. It’s the former home of scientist Gerardus Vossius, which is an extra coincidence because I went to the Vossius Gymnasium myself.”
Medical student Mante Aerts (25) lives permanently on his boat in the marina of Schellingwoude with his good friend and UvA alumnus Piet van Zwieten (23).
“I’ve been moving from place to place since I was eighteen, but now I really wanted something of my own. My parents live on a houseboat, just like Piet’s, so I knew it could be a good base. After a long search, we came across this boat in Haarlem last summer, and two weeks later it was ours. At first it was one big party, but during the winter it got a bit bleak. At that time, we both broke up with our partners and were sitting here together in the cold. Fortunately, we had a clear goal in mind: to build something beautiful here.”
“We are still renovating. It is still very basic inside; for example, we still need a kitchen and a bathroom, but it is liveable. We hope to be finished by the end of the summer. I don’t think I ever want to go back to the mainland. We have no neighbours, we’re surrounded by nature and when the sun shines, we always hang out together on the deck. No house will ever be as cool as this boat.”
