Top of Dam Square National Monument reinstalled after renovation

At a height of about 22 meters above Dam Square in Amsterdam, the top of the National Monument was replaced on Monday after a refurbishment. This means that the maintenance of the memorial is nearly complete.

"We want to return the monument to the city before Christmas," said project leader Merel Peppelenbosch. She gave an update on the project after the 1,000 kilogram upper portion of the pillar was back in place.

The work, which started in May, will last more than seven months. Recently, a total of 198 natural stone blocks from the pillar, another 123 from the urn wall, and 48 more from the pedestals of the lion statues have been dismantled and inspected by a stonemason in Winterswijk. Everything has been cleaned and repairs were carried out where necessary.

According to Peppelenbosch, this all went according to plan. The blocks were badly damaged, but this had already emerged during the extensive preliminary study.

The memorial is made of Italian travertine, limestone that is sensitive to the effects of the weather and must be well cared for. For this reason, in addition to an annual cleaning, the monument undergoes thorough maintenance every 25 years. This most recently happened in 1997.

In the coming weeks, the last blocks will be replaced and it will be time to finish up the job, according to the project leader. This time, each block has been carefully documented, so that in the future it will be clear exactly what has changed since the last round of maintenance.

The entire process cost around 2 million euros.

The National Monument on Dam Square by sculptor John Rädecker and architect Jacobus Oud dates from 1956. It was erected in memory of these killed during World War II, and is the central location during the National Remembrance Day ceremony annually held on 4 May.