Albrandswaards Dagblad | The oldest statue in the Netherlands has a birthday
It is a view of the square in front of the Sint-Laurenskerk: Rotterdam’s most famous citizen stands on a pedestal, with a book in his hands. For 400 years, since April 30, 1622, Desiderius Erasmus has stood in the heart of Rotterdam. It is therefore the originally created statue of the Netherlands. It is also the first statue in Europe not erected for a royal or military person.
In 1618, the famous architect and sculptor Hendrik de Keyser was commissioned to create a statue of Desiderius Erasmus. De Keyser is known for the mausoleum of William of Orange, the town hall of Delft and the Westertoren in Amsterdam. The patron of the statue is at least as famous: this was Hugo de Groot. He was then city pensionary of Rotterdam.
The statue was cast in bronze by Jan Cornelisz Ouderogge. He had his bronze foundry on the Hoogstraat. There he not only cast cannons for the VOC, but also, for example, the large ringing bell of the Sint-Laurenskerk. The statue was received on April 30, 1622. Erasmus came to be on the Grote Markt, roughly where the lawn now lies. Here he remained until 1940.
The Grote Markt was completely destroyed by the German bombs on 14 May 1940, but the statue of Erasmus remained miraculously intact. When the debris clearing began, it was removed and buried in the courtyard of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. Here he remained safe until 1945. After the liberation he was given a place on the Coolsingel in front of Dudok’s Erasmusflat – perhaps better known as ‘the HBU building’. When the metro was moved under the Coolsingel, it was moved to Boijmans van Beuningen again, but this time not underground. Finally, in 1963, a new permanent place was found for Erasmus on the Grotekerkplein.
In 1996 the image came in the news in a special way. On the night of November 21 to 22, it had miraculously fallen. Astonished Rotterdammers found Erasmus upside down in the morning with his head drilled into the paving stones. After a restoration, the statue has been placed back here. The desolate square has now been transformed into a pleasant city park. And Erasmus? It overlooks the Hoogstraat. Where the birthplace once stood.
Photo: Submitted