Is it a happy Santa Claus holding a bell and a Christmas tree or is it a naughty Santa holding…read moresomething unmentionable?? Interesting to visit this Santa Claus by Paul McCarthy with our tour guide Nidas from Free Walking Tour Rotterdam. Had I just walked by this oversized Santa, might not have known how controversial this giant statue has been. Once the inspiration was revealed, the statue was rejected by many local businesses and it was moved from location to location. Read the other reviews to learn more about what Santa holds in his right hand. Maybe that's why he is smiling??

The Low Countries seems to house their fair share of interesting statues…read more.. The city of Rotterdam commissioned sculptor Paul McCarthy (not the Beatles member) to create a piece of public art for a square near the orchestra building. Created in 2001, the sculpture is supposed to depict Santa Claus holding a bell in one hand and a Christmas tree in the other. The locals, or rather, anyone with an imagination, thought otherwise. Reception was obviously mixed, with some finding it offensive while other people thought it symbolized Western consumerism around Christmastime gone wrong. It was eventually rejected from its original site due to the controversy and for several years moved about the city until it found a permanent place in the Eendrachtsplein. The statue was only a 15 minute walk from Rotterdam Centraal station so I visited the statue on my way back to the station. If the city can design a food hall with a mural of fruits in the ceiling and cube houses as residential spaces, surely it has room for one more unusual object?