Archief van de Wisselbank
Item
Country
NL
Name of institution (English)
Amsterdam City Archives
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
dut
Contact information: postal address
Vijzelstraat 32, 1017 HL Amsterdam
Contact information: phone number
0031 202511511
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
stadarchief@amsterdam.nl
Reference number
5077
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Archive of the Exchange Bank
Title (official language of the state)
Archief van de Wisselbank
Language of title
dut
Creator / accumulator
Amsterdamsche Wisselbank
Commissie van Liquidatie van de Wisselbank
Date(s)
1609/1822
Language(s)
dut
Extent
c. 550 linear meters
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Archief van de Wisselbank (Archives of the Bank of Amsterdam) begins with the establishment of the bank, following the example of the Bank of Venice. The Wisselbank was established in 1609 and ran until around 1830. Few documents about the organisation of the administration and the officials of this bank have survived in the archives, but the details can be found in other archives from the city administration of that time, such as those of the burgomasters, treasurers, and trustees.
The fonds is divided into three sections: Stukken van algemene aard (general documents), including minutes, ordinances, and disclosures; Stukken betreffende bijzondere onderwerpen (documents on particular matters), containing documents on the foundation of the bank, its internal organisation and officers and its accounts; and Commissie van liquidatie van de Wisselbank (Liquidation Commission of the Exchange Bank).
Of particular interest is the Grootboeken (Ledger) series (50-1273), which records the amounts entered and debited. This series includes an index with an alphabetical list of merchants and the pages of their current accounts. Among these merchants, there are several Jews of Sephardic origin. Numbers 771 to 790 contain lists of aliases of Portuguese-Jewish account holders.
The fonds is divided into three sections: Stukken van algemene aard (general documents), including minutes, ordinances, and disclosures; Stukken betreffende bijzondere onderwerpen (documents on particular matters), containing documents on the foundation of the bank, its internal organisation and officers and its accounts; and Commissie van liquidatie van de Wisselbank (Liquidation Commission of the Exchange Bank).
Of particular interest is the Grootboeken (Ledger) series (50-1273), which records the amounts entered and debited. This series includes an index with an alphabetical list of merchants and the pages of their current accounts. Among these merchants, there are several Jews of Sephardic origin. Numbers 771 to 790 contain lists of aliases of Portuguese-Jewish account holders.
Archival history
The Archief van de Wisselbank was for a long time poorly accessible especially due to the lack of a good inventory. Recently, the Amsterdam City Archives have provided a new inventory, and the archives have been rearranged and thus made comprehensible. However, the size of the ledgers is still an obstacle to consultation. Also, Wisselbank's accounts still hold a lot of information to be uncovered.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Amsterdamsche Wisselbank (Amsterdam Exchange Bank) was established in 1609 to provide monetary exchange at established rates, but it soon became a deposit bank for the safe settling of accounts. The Amsterdamsche Wisselbank played a pivotal role in the emergence of a global economy at the time of early capitalism. Merchants all over Europe had current accounts at the Wisselbank that they used for payments of trade transactions and for other financial transactions. This makes the Wisselbank's accounts the starting point of the financial-economic history of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. As an exchange bank, it allowed people to bring money or bullion for deposit and to withdraw the money or the worth of the bullion. The original ordinance that established the bank further required that all bills of 600 gulden or upward should be paid through the bank — in other words, by the transfer of deposits or credits at the bank. These transfers later came to be known as “bank money.” The charge for making the transfers represented the bank’s sole source of income. The bank’s conservative lending policy allowed it to maintain reserves that fully covered its outstanding notes and thereby rendered it invulnerable even to the major panic provoked by Louis XIV’s unexpected invasion of the Netherlands in 1672. Although the Wisselbank had not been required to maintain 100% backing for its notes prior to 1802, its reserves shrank, and its reputation suffered after it granted large-scale loans to the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch government.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is divided into three sections, each one subdivided into series and subseries. The records of each division are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Part of this fonds (including the ledgers) is available in digital format:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares and Joana Rodrigues, 2022
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Stadsarchief Amsterdam | Collections (official language of the state) |