The Martelaarsgracht is an extension of the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and runs in a northeastern direction to the Prins Hendrikkade and the Stationsplein in front of Central Station.

The Martelaarsgracht has been a short but wide and busy street since the canal was filled in 1884, and has been an electric tram route since 1906.

When part of the IJ north of the area was filled in at the beginning of the 15th century, the canal came to lie within the city walls.

Exactly how the urban expansion took place could be investigated locally when in 2003 a few derelict buildings were demolished for new construction in the northern corner.

The imposing building of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Lloyd on the corner with the Prins Hendrikkade was built in 1917–21 against the advice of the then Welstand Commission.

[3] The building on the opposite corner, with the advertising text "Kopje Koffie Karpershoek" on the cornice, dates from 1629.

The Karpershoek started in 1606 as an inn on the IJ for the sailors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).