The Marie Heinekenplein (English: Marie Heineken Square) is a square in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, popularly known as the Heinekenplein. The circle-shaped square is used for various events, such as a book market and an open-air cinema. Marie Heinekenplein was constructed in the early 1990s. It lies just outside the city centre, in the neighbourhood of

De Pijp De Pijp (; English: The Pipe) is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located directly south of Amsterdam's city centre and it is part of the borough Amsterdam-Zuid, in a part of the city known as the Old South ( ''Oud Zuid''). It is se ...

, along the street

Ferdinand Bolstraat The Ferdinand Bolstraat is a street in Amsterdam, named after the artist Ferdinand Bol in 1872. Description The Ferdinand Bolstraat has traditionally been, and continues to be, primarily a shopping street. It is a major artery of the neighbo ...

. The Quellijnstraat runs along the southern edge of the square. Tram lines 16 and 24 have a stop near the square. Along the Marie Heinekenplein are a number of bars and cafés. The square is lined with café terraces. Between the square and the Stadhouderskade street is the former

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...

brewery, now a popular tourist attraction known as the

Heineken Experience The Heineken Experience, located in Amsterdam, is a historic brewery and corporate visitor center for the internationally distributed Dutch pilsner, Heineken beer. History Background The industrial facility was built as the first Heineken ...

. Along the northern side of the square is a modern apartment building incorporating a supermarket and other shops at ground level. One of the three restaurants of renowned Chinese restaurant chain

Nam Kee Nam Kee () is a chain of three Chinese restaurants in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The original restaurant opened at the Zeedijk in 1981 (currently at no. 111–113), followed by restaurants at the Geldersekade 117 in 1992 and at the Marie Heinekenpl ...

is located along the square. Originally the area was part of the Heineken brewery complex. In 1988, most of the brewery was demolished, and in 1993, construction of the square was started. The name of the square was the source of much debate in Amsterdam. Originally it was supposed to be named after

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

, but the plan was scrapped after

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She serv ...

was convicted in 1991 of kidnapping and being an accessory to assault in connection with the death of 14-year-old James Seipei. Local street-naming rules do not allow a street to be named after someone who is still alive or a company. This also prevented the square to be named "Heinekenplein". The square is located in an area of

where streets are normally named after Dutch painters. A compromise was struck by naming the square after a niece of the Heineken founder

Gerard Adriaan Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...

, painter

Marie Heineken Marie Henriëtte Heineken (8 June 1844 – 1 March 1930) was a Dutch painter mainly known for flower still lifes. Her paintings are characterised as impressionist. Biography Marie Heineken was born on 8 June 1844 on the Korte Prinsengracht in ...

(1844-1930).

Sources

Amsterdam city archives
(Dutch)
PvdA Amsterdam
(Dutch)

References

External links

{{Parks and squares in Amsterdam Squares in Amsterdam Amsterdam-Zuid