Johannes Hudde

Who was Johannes Hudde?

Johannes Hudde was a burgomaster of Amsterdam between 1672 – 1703, a mathematician and governor of the Dutch East India Company.

As a "burgemeester" of Amsterdam he ordered that the city canals should be flushed at high tide and that the polluted water of the town "secreten" should be diverted to pits outside the town instead of into the canals. He also promoted hygiene in and around the town's water supply.

"Huddes stones" were marker stones that were used to mark the summer high water level at several points in the city. They later were the foundation for the "NAP", the now Europe-wide system for measuring water levels.