Blauwbrug

The Blauwbrug spans the Amstel River with three stone arches and ornate, lamppost-topped pedestals. Its design mimics the bridges of Paris, commissioned by the city in eighteen eighty-three to replace a wooden structure painted bright blue. During the coronation of Queen Wilhelmina in eighteen ninety-eight, the bridge carried thousands of cheering residents. A young boy named Leo van der Meer once climbed one of the gilded imperial crowns atop the stone pillars, waving a flag while the parade passed right beneath his feet.