The bronze figure of a young boy, hands tucked behind his back with an impish grin, stands on a pedestal in the middle of the Spui. Created by Amsterdam sculptor Carel Kneulman and unveiled on September tenth, nineteen sixty, the statue…
Spuistraat Squatters and Street Art
This walk traces the radical, colorful legacy of Amsterdam's squatting movement and street art culture from the 1960s to today. You'll wander past legendary social centers, former artistic squats, and historic canal sites that defined the city's unique spirit of social tolerance.
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1. Amsterdams Lieverdje
2. Wijdesteeg
The Wijdesteeg is a narrow alleyway in the historic center of Amsterdam known for a period when it functioned as an open-air gallery. Its walls were once covered in murals, and the brick road itself was painted in bright, multicolored…
3. Vrankrijk
Vrankrijk is a building on Spuistraat known for its colorful facade, anarchist slogans, and history as a hub for the city's squatting movement. Constructed in eighteen seventy-five, the property originally functioned as a woodworking shop…
4. Spuistraat 199
Spuistraat one hundred ninety-nine is a building recognized by its history as the Slangenpand, or Snakehouse. For decades, the site was defined by a large, psychedelic mural of a serpent that wrapped around its exterior, signaling its…
5. Vrij Paleis
The Vrij Paleis at Paleisstraat one hundred and seven occupies a building that once housed the offices of the NRC Handelsblad newspaper. Since the late nineteen seventies, the complex was squatted, eventually evolving into a long-standing…
6. Keizersgracht 242
Keizersgracht two hundred forty-two is a neck gable building that stands as part of a collective of six historic canal houses known as the Groote Keijser. These properties, ranging from numbers two hundred forty-two to two hundred…