Grenspaal

Grenspaal stands at the start of Jodenbreestraat in Amsterdam, beside the Sint Anthoniesluis and the edge of a widened bridge. Its turtle, saddle and column mark the meeting point between straight modern streets and older winding lanes.

Hans ’t Mannetje created the monument in 1986 from fragments of Amsterdam buildings. A reused pedestal once carried a lost statue of Rembrandt, while the stone column came from Hendrik Petrus Berlage’s De Algemene building, destroyed by fire in 1962. The sculpture recalls plans for a highway from Mr Visserplein to Prins Hendrikkade, abandoned after protests and clashes in Nieuwmarkt during the 1970s. Inscriptions connect that local resistance with Amsterdam’s Jewish heritage and the poet Jacob Israël de Haan.

Look closely at the greenish turtle: its original head was missing, so the sculptor made a replacement. Together, the turtle and heavy column carry a simple image of time, construction and the stones that survive change.