The Begijnhof has been an ‘island’ for a long time, enclosed on 3 sides by water, namely on the south side by the Spui, on the west side by the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and on the east side by the Begijnensteeg. The only entrance to the Begijnhof was the gate in the Begijnensteeg. Here was a wooden bridge over the former Begijnensloot. The gate closed in the evening and only with permission a Begijn was allowed to leave the court in the evenings.
In the 19th century, the water was filled in on 3 sides: first the Begijnensloot which was heavily polluted in 1865, then the Spui in 1882 and 2 years later the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal.