Samuel Sarphati
Encyclopedia
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
physician and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
city planner
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
.
Biography
Sarphati's ancestors were PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Jews
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
who arrived in the Netherlands in the 17th century. While only middle-class, his parents were able to let him attend a Latin school. At the age of 20, Sarphati started studying medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Leiden, which he finished with a promotion in 1839.
During his work thereafter as a doctor in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Sarphati encountered the bad hygiene among the poor in Amsterdam. His compassion for his patients led him to initiate all sorts of projects to improve the quality of life in the city and the health of its inhabitants. They included a bread factory producing wholesome, affordable bread, and a refuse collection service.
Sarphati played an important role in the initiation of waste transport in 1847. He became involved in politics, particularly as a project developer in city planning. Beside public health he also initiated improvements in education and industrialization. He also wanted to enhance Amsterdam's dignity and standing by constructing impressive buildings like the Amstel Hotel
InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam
The InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel or Amstel Hotel is a five-star hotel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on the east bank of the river Amstel....
and the Paleis voor Volksvlijt.
After his death, Sarphatipark
Sarphatipark
The Sarphatipark is a public urban park located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The park is named after Samuel Sarphati....
in Amsterdam was designed and named after him in 1885.
Buildings built on Sarphati's initiative
- The first trade school
- A bread factory (Maatschappij voor Meel-en-Broodfabrieken)
- Palace of National Industry (Paleis voor volksvlijt), destroyed by fire in 1929
- InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam (Amstel Hotel)