As you emerge from the Red Light District or Chinatown onto the eastern side of Dam Square, notice the huge National Monument. Unveiled in 1956 by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, the multi-faceted monument is dedicated to those that died in World War II.
The monument’s main pillar features emotive representations of Dutch Resistance members, the working class and intelligentsia. Take a closer look at the monument’s wall and you’ll see the 12 urns which contain soil from execution grounds, burial sites of war dead and Indonesia (formerly the Dutch East Indies). Lions, the symbol of the Netherlands found on everything from flags to banking logos, flank the wall.
If you’re visiting the Netherlands in May, head to Dam Square to participate in Remembrance Day on May 4, when the king lays a wreath at the monument. This event commemorates not only those who fell during World War II but also Dutch nationals lost in other conflicts and peacekeeping missions. Liberation Day, the following day, marks the end of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands.
In the 1970s, the monument, a sign of liberty and freedom, became a hangout for hippies, who occupied the square and slept beneath the huge sculpture. It happened so regularly that the term “Damslapen” (Dam-sleepers) was used to refer to the squatters, who were eventually moved out by local authorities. This little quirk in the history of the Dam was captured incidentally in the 1971 film Puppet on a Chain as a character walks through the crowd of hippies. Rent the movie before you visit Amsterdam to look for familiar spots.
These days the National Monument is frequently occupied by hundreds of multicolored bicycles of local residents and tourists visiting the Palace, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Nieuwe Kerk and famous shopping streets around the Dam. Enjoy the busy square and view the monument from the many sidewalk cafés and restaurants. In an alley behind the monument you’ll find Wynand Fockink, one of the city’s historic distilleries and bars where you can try the fruit liqueurs and aged jenever, also known as Dutch gin.
