Warmoesstraat is one of the oldest streets in Amsterdam, running parallel to Damrak from Nieuwebrugsteeg to Dam Square. Its origins are in the 13th century. In the 16th and 17th century it was the shopping street. During the Dutch Golden Age, the father of legendary poet and playwright Joost van den Vondel ran a business as a silk merchant there. Today, the busy Warmoesstraat has a variety of shops, bars, restaurants, cheap hotels, coffee shops and sex boutiques.