The Dockworker
Map
52°22′1.91″N 4°54′18.05″E / 52.3671972°N 4.9050139°E / 52.3671972; 4.9050139
LocationJonas Daniël Meijerplein
MaterialBronze
Height250 cm

The Dockworker (Dutch: De Dokwerker) is a sculpture and monument located at Jonas Daniël Meijerplein in Amsterdam, commemorating the February strike of 1941.[1]

The statue was commissioned by the Municipality of Amsterdam and created by sculptor Mari Andriessen.

The Haarlem carpenter/contractor Willem Termetz, who knew Andriessen before the war, posed for the statue in 1951. It is believed that they were both part of the resistance. Termetz's heavy build had the presence Andriessen sought. Termetz was initially reluctant to be immortalized in a statue, as he considered the February strike sacred and was not convinced a statue was necessary. Eventually, Godfried Bomans persuaded him to pose.

The final version was expected to be ready in mid-1951 after several designs in a plaster model. It was completed a year later. The statue of the dockworker was cast in bronze in 1952 at Binder bronze foundry in Haarlem. Photos made the statue known in the press. On March 28, 1952, the Haarlems Dagblad wrote: "Mari Andriessen has taken an ordinary dockworker as a symbol of the strike, not an idealized worker."

The then-Queen Juliana unveiled the statue on December 19, 1952.[2] Since then, it has been the central location for the annual commemoration of the February strike on February 25. The monument has also been the starting or ending point of demonstrations against racism several times.

The Dockworker did not always stand in its current location. Initially, the statue faced the Waterlooplein. In 1970, it was relocated to face the Portuguese Synagogue due to metro and Stopera construction works.

The unveiling ceremony in 1952

References

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  1. ^ "February Strike (1941) – Protest against the Persecution of Jews". Historiek.net. Archived from the original on 2023-06-21.
  2. ^ "Overijsselsch dagblad". 20 December 1952. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
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52°22′1.91″N 4°54′18.05″E / 52.3671972°N 4.9050139°E / 52.3671972; 4.9050139