Day 1, Monday, March 21, 2022.

International Day against Racism and Discrimination. The protest against racism and fascism took place on Saturday, March 19, this year it will not be part of this walk.  

10.5 miles - lots of restaurants & cafés - 2 parks

Visit Anne Frank House, Museum Van Loon

Alternative starting point: (A) Amsterdam Central Station

Martin Luther King Park > Weesperzijde > Amstel >

Berlagebrug > Nieuwe Keizersgracht > Weesperstraat > Jonas Daniël Meijerplein > Weesperplantsoen - Holocaust Monument (to be erected) > Jonas Daniël Meijerplein > Dock Worker - Start silent march for Dr. King in 1968 > Wertheim Park - Auschwitz Monument > Anne Frankstraat > Nieuwe Herengracht > Rapenburgplein > Oosterdok > Mr. J.J. van der Veldebrug > Oosterdokskade > OBA library - Owner MLK statue > Schreierstoren - Start Hudson's voyage > Stationplein - (A) Amsterdam Central Station > Haarlemmerstraat > Herenmarkt - West-India House, WIC > Haarlemmerdijk > Buiten Oranjestraat > Grote Bickersstraat > Bickerseiland - Regents Bicker in 16th & 17th century >

Realengracht > Prinseneiland - Black Heritage Tours >

Brouwersgracht > Prinsengracht >

Torensluis - Statue of Multatuli, anti-colonial writer >

Wester Church - service for Dr. King in 1968,  Anne Frank House, Gay Monument > Reestraat 6 - House where Anton de Kom lived > Dam - Monument WOII, Kerwin Duinmeijer died here > Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal > Sint Luciënsteeg >

Duifjessteeg > Rokin 64 - House with the Moor >

Herengracht 502 - Mayor's residence, slavery >

Herengracht 518 - Albert Geelvinck, slaver trader >

Herengracht 546 - Jan Bernd Bicker, 18th century >

Keizersgracht 672 - Museum Van Loon, slavery >

Frederiksplein, Monument Walraven van Hall >

Amsteldijk > Martin Luther King Park

The park was named after Martin Luther King, Jr. to honor him after his assassination on April 4, 1968. More

Walk north, cross the Berlage Bridge and walk north along the Amstel River, cross the canal and go right to the Nieuwe Keizersgracht, turn left to Weesperplantsoen, and walk to the Holocaust Monument. 

This Holocaust names Monument (2021) was designed by Daniel Libeskind, and is located in the former Jewish Quarter. It commemorates the more than 102,000 Dutch Jewish victims and 220 Sinti and Roma who were killed during the Holocaust and never were buried in an individual grave. The walls and the stainless steel mirror surface form the Hebrew word "in memoriam".

Follow the Weesperstraat to the Jonas Daniël Meijerplein.

On April 7, 1968, three days after his death, a large remembrance walk for Martin Luther King was held in Amsterdam. It started at the statue Dock Worker. This statue commemorates the February Strike, on February 25, 1941, during World War II. Amsterdammers didn't take it any longer and went on strike, when even shops and bars became prohibited for Jews. Every year this is remembered.

Walk along the Nieuwe Herengracht and cross the bridge to the Wertheim Park.

Every year at the third Sunday of January the 1.3 million victims of Auschwitz are remembered at the Broken Mirrors Monument by Dutch artist and writer Jan Wolkers: "Heaven will be damaged forever. It is a god-awful attack on everything man stands for". Continue over the Anne Frankstraat bridge to Oosterdok, along NEMO, cross the Mr. J.J. van der Velde Bridge along OBA (MLK-statue, books, exhibitions, toilet, restaurant). Go left, cross the Ode Bridge and go right to the Prins Hendrikkade.

This defense tower was built in 1487 and was part of the Amsterdam city wall, the first fortifications that were built from 1481. It was a strategic viewpoint for the Amsterdam harbor and the Zuiderzee. From this point Henry Hudson, employed by the VOC, sailed to the West in 1609 to find a Northern passageway but he ended up 200 km upstream the Hudson River. 

It is said that the name Schreierstoren (Criers Tower) comes from the women that weeped when they waved at their departing husbands. But that is questionable because the Tower was called Schrayershoektoren because the city wall at this point made a sharp angle (schray = sharp, not 'cry').

Follow Prins Hendrikkade along Amsterdam Central Station, a curve to the left and then right to the Haarlemmerstraat.

In this building, the West India House, in 1625, the board of the West India Company (WIC) planned the building of a fortress on Manhattan that late became New York City. Slave trade was the most important shipping activity by the WIC. From 1674 to 1740 the company sailed 383 ships. The WIC transported and traded more than 550,000 enslaved Africans in these years. Go right to Buiten Oranjestraat and continue to Grote Bickerstraat, go left to the Realengracht and then left over the Three Herring Bridge.

Bickers Island, Realen Island and Prinsen Island were build during the Third City Extension between 1611 and 1615. These islands created more space for ship yards and warehouses of the WIC, in the harbour of Amsterdam. Members of the Bicker family were rulers on Amsterdam for centuries, and also involved in slave trade. Cornelis Bicker (1592-1654) was for example merchant on America, trader in sugar and one of the founders and director of the WIC. He was mayor of Amsterdam three times. Walk over Prinsen Island, Black Heritage Tours is located here. Continue to Haarlemmerdijk, Brouwersgracht, Prinsengracht, Prinsenstraat and Singel to Torensluis.

Max Havelaar (1860) is a famous satirical novel about the Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia. Amsterdam writer Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker, 1820-1887), lived in Batavia (nowadays Jakarta) and saw all violence and wrongdoing. In 2002 Multatuli was proclaimed the most important writer of all time. This year 2020 is the Multatuli Year, it was 200 years ago that he was born. Follow Oude Leliestraat and Leliegracht, cross the canal, and go left to the Keizersgracht to the Westermarkt, an important square.

On April 6, 1968 there was a memorial service to pay tribute to Martin Luther King, attended by 1800 people. The day after a silent protest march with 400 people ended at the Westermarkt at the foot of the Wester Church (Westerkerk). People were carrying slogans like "America this was your last chance, this is war you declare to us", "Nonviolence and Civil Rights", "Who sows napalm, will reap violence", "If you don't listen??? We burn baby, and be killed". After the march, performer Otto Sterman read a poem. On this site also the Anne Frank house (and Anne Frank statue by Mari Andriessen, 1977) and the Homomonument (gay monument by Karin Daan, 1979), which makes a strong statement that history must not be repeated: "Never again". The monument goes beyond commemorating just the victims of World War II. It also commemorates all LGBTI people who have been or are still being persecuted by government regimes. Go left to the Prinsengracht and take the first left to the Reestraat.

Surinamese writer and WWII resistance fighter Anton de Kom, lived at Reestraat 9, in the 'Nine Streets' neighborhood. He wrote the famous novel 'We slaves of Surinam' (1934). A new edition was printed in 2020 (tip!). He is a hero in Surinam but not enough know in the Netherlands. A statue to honor him was erected at Anton de Kom Square, included in Walk Southeast.

Continue to Paleisstraat and Dam Square.

Every year on May 4, the victims of World War II are being remembered on Dam Square with two minutes of silence and a wreath-laying. Also on Dam Square the 15-year old Kerwin Lucas from the Antilles, was stabbed by a skinhead, a racist murder. Every year this is commemorated, because we must not forget. In Vondel Park there is a statue to remember Kerwin, it is included in Walk West.

Walk along the Nieuwe Kerk around the Royal Palace Amsterdam (built 1648-1665), that was the Amsterdam city hall until 1808. It is open to the public and can be visited. Walk southbound via Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and Sint Luciënsteeg to the Amsterdam Gallery of the Amsterdam Museum.

Slave trader Bartholomeus Moor (1573-1633) placed a 'moor' on every house he lived in. Moor heads can be found on several Amsterdam buildings, in family crests and in museums. Look up, the gavelstone of the moor is on top of this five-story building Rokin 64 (T-Molbile shop). In 1614 Moor and 33 stakeholders signed  for the transport and insurance of the 'cargo' of a ship full of enslaved Africans on the slave ship Angel Michael. One of the heirs of Rokin 64, Daniel Bernard (1626- 1714) was the director of the colony Society of Surinam in 1689, and he was also involved in slave trade. Follow Rokin, walk past the Munt Tower (the lower part of this tower was built between 1480 and 1487 and was part of the Reguliers Gate, one of the three main gates to enter the city and part of the first fortification of Amsterdam), follow the Vijzelstraat and over the canal go left onto the Herengracht (even side).

House with the Columns, Herengracht 502 in Amsterdam, is the mayor's residence. In the 17th century Paulus Godin (1615-1690) lived here. He was governor of WIC (West India Company) and director of the colony 'Society of Surinam'. He was member of commissions like 'Coasts of Africa' and 'Slavery Business'. His name is found on a 1677 WIC contract for the delivery of 1600 to 1800 slaves to Curaçao, to be shipped onto the Spanish West Indies (Cuba and Puerto Rico). He became very wealthy, proven by this house. In 2006 a marker was placed by the front door. Since 1927 this is the residence of the mayor of Amsterdam. On Herengracht 518 lived slave trader Albert Geelvinck and on Herengracht 546 lived Jan Bernd Bicker. Go right to Utrechtsestraat and right to the Keizersgracht (even side).

Willem van Loon (1537-1618) was one of the founders of the VOC (Dutch East India Company), and in the 16th century three Moor heads were added to the coat of arms of the Van Loon family. Today the building houses Museum Van Loon, and is open to the public. A painting in the hallway, by Jan Miense Molenaer (1637), shows the wedding of Willem van Loon and Margaretha Bas. A black man is visible on the right, is he a servant or a status symbol? Go left to the Vijzelstraat and left again to the Prinsengracht. Go right and follow Utrechtsestraat to the Frederiksplein.

Wally van Hall (1906-1945) was banker and resistance fighters in WWII. In 1943 he co-founded the National Support Fund (NSF), also known as Bank of the Resistance. They thought of smart ways to get money, like "the largest bank fraud in Dutch history" and supported persons in hiding and the resistance. Walraven had many aliases: Van Tuyl, Barends, Uncle Pete and the most well known: the Oil Man. In 1945 he was shot to death, just before the war ended. In 2010 a bronze monument of a fallen tree was revealed, close to the Duch Central Bank. Continue through Oosteinde, go left to Stadhouderskade, go right and walk along Amstel River to the Martin Luther King Park.