Not gonna lie, I had to look up what this monument was for. It's huge, it lies in the city center, and lots of people gather here all day and into the night and just hang out.
Turns out that this monument is a cenotaph built in 1956 to "commemorate the casualties of World War 2 and subsequent armed conflicts". A national Remembrance of the Dead ceremony is held there every May 4th.
On August 14, 2009, the monument was granted status as a national heritage site.
The wall surrounding the backside of the monument contains eleven urns with soil from World War II execution grounds and war cemeteries in each of the Dutch provinces, and a twelfth urn with soil from the Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia. (Wikipedia)
It's a pretty monument, and a good spot to meet up with friends, as well as take photos. I'm glad I took the time to learn about it.
9/2020 read more