Monument Indië-Nederland
Part of the monument
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| Coordinates | 52°21′1″N 4°51′56″E / 52.35028°N 4.86556°ECoordinates: 52°21′1″N 4°51′56″E / 52.35028°N 4.86556°E |
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| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Designer | Friedhoff and Van Hall |
| Material | Stone |
| Height | 18.7 metres (61 ft) |
| Opening date | 15 June 1935 |
| Dedicated to |
J. B. van Heutsz (1935–2004) East Indies–Netherlands (2004–present) |
The Monument Indië-Nederland is located near the Olympiaplein in the southern part of Amsterdam. The monument was originally a badge of honour, meant for General J. B. van Heutsz, who was the commandant of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and is also known for bringing Atjeh under Dutch authority. Because of political pressure the name was changed to Monument Indië-Nederland.
After his death in 1924, a mausoleum was founded for Van Heutsz on the Nieuwe Oosterbegraafplaats. At the time the mausoleum was completed, there was still a bit of the collected money left. After the government agreed with the idea in 1930 to build a monument with this money in another part of Amsterdam, they started a contest. This contest was won by the architect Gijsbert Friedhoff and the sculptor Frits van Hall. Although there were strong protests of communists and social democrats, the monument was revealed by Queen Wilhelmina, in the presence of princess Juliana and prime minister Colijn in 1935. The monument consists of a female character with on each side a lion. This all is surrounded by a pond and a stone wall.
Almost every part of the monument symbolizes the relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia. The female character in the center with the scroll of law in her hand, represents the Dutch authority in Indonesia. On each side of her is a lion, who both symbolize a city. One of them stands for Batavia, the old name of the capital of Nederlands-Indië, the other one stands for Amsterdam. In popular speech the woman is also called Mien met de hondjes ( Mien with the dogs in English) or de Nederlandse maagd (the Dutch virgin).
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