Museumplein 18-04-2013

Ferdinand Bol

Sarphatipark

Gerard Douplein

Ostadetheater

It's almost as if this photo of the Ostadetheater was taken on a very comfortable, warm summer evening. However, it was again freezing cold this evening of the 23rd of March. 

Roei- en Zeilvereniging De Amstel

Rijksmuseum Count Down

The other side of the J.J. Viottastraat

Willemsparkschool

Memlingstraat

Looking at Okura

Rijnbar

Frieslandbank after sunset

't Blauwe Theehuis

Weesperzijde

Hotel Sander

Hotel Sander is located in the Jacob Obrechtstraat 69, wich is in the museum quarter of the city. There are not so many pictures of this area on my blog but maybe I will focus on it in the next series. The area has a certain loaded atmosphere but it's hard to define what it exactly is.  I feel it strongly while walking through De Lairessestraat, but also in the Jacob Obrechtstraat I sense this odd combination of prosperity,  melancholy and void.

Apollo First

During the second world war the main quarter of the Sicherheitsdienst was installed in the Meisjes HBS in the Euterpestraat (now Gerrit van der Veenstraat). A long time ago I posted some photo's of this building on my blog. 

On the other side of the street there was another school located were the Zentrastelle für Jüdische Auswanderung was housed. The Zentralstelle was responsible for the deportation of the jews in Holland. The arrested people were gathered in the gym of the school before they went on transport to camp Westerbork. Later the nazi's used the Hollandsche Schouwburg in the Plantage Middenlaan for this purpose.

On sunday the 26th of november 1944, all these buildings were bombed by the Allied Forces. The Zentralstelle was half destroyed and the SD mainquarter was seriously damaged. The Sicherheitsdienst moved their quarters to the Apollo First Hotel in the Apollolaan where they stayed untill the liberation. Unfortunately most of the jewish people in Amsterdam were already deported by than.