Plantage Westermanplantsoen

The Plantage Westermanplantsoen sits as a small, green triangle at the intersection of the Plantage Middenlaan and the Nieuwe Herengracht. It takes its name from Gerardus Frederik Westerman, the man who co-founded the nearby Artis Royal Zoo in eighteen thirty-eight. A bronze statue of Westerman stands in the center of the park, leaning on a cane and looking toward the zoo he helped create. He spent his life dedicated to zoology, and this space serves as his permanent, quiet corner of the district.