The Bruggen van het acces IJweg over Voor- en Achterkanaalis is one of several bridges that forms part of the defence line of Amsterdam. The bridge is a listed monument located in Hoofdweg. The defence line was a long term project, which took around 40 years to build. It replaced an old set of fortifications which became obsolete with the invention of long range artilliary. The defence line could be used to quickly flood areas around Amsterdam, making the land difficult to cross. In times of peace, the same pumps kept the land dry.
