Nationaal Monument

Nationaal Monument rises from Dam Square in Amsterdam as a white travertine cenotaph for Dutch casualties of the Second World War and later conflicts. Its central concrete pillar reaches about twenty-two metres, while concentric stone rings form steps around the base.

Jacobus Oud designed the structure, with sculptures by John Rädecker and reliefs by Paul Grégoire. Four chained figures express wartime suffering, flanked by figures representing intellectual and working-class resistance, with weeping dogs symbolising loyalty and grief. Above them, a woman holds a child among doves for peace, victory and new life, while two lions represent the Netherlands. Eleven urns contain soil from Dutch provinces, and a twelfth holds soil from the former Dutch East Indies.

Unveiled in 1956, the monument became the setting for the national Remembrance of the Dead ceremony on 4 May. A wheelchair ramp added in 2007 makes the site accessible, and the monument received national heritage status in 2009.