Six women support a queen. This isn’t a fairy tale but a monument to Koningin Emma. Here on Emmaplein stands a kolossaal statue of Koningin Emma. It commemorates Emma van Waldeck-Pyrmont. She was the wife of King Willem III. She also mothered Queen Wilhelmina. Lambertus Zijl created this monument. It almost wasn’t here.
Originally, Zijl designed the statue for a competition in The Hague. Zijl won. But The Hague chose a different design. Toon Dupuis got the commission instead. Some say The Hague found Zijl’s design too sketchy. Amsterdam stepped in. A committee acquired Zijl’s design. They sought advice from prominent figures. Joseph Mendes da Costa and Jan Gratama were among them. Gifts, even from the poorest areas, funded the statue.
The monument finally took shape in 1938. Steenhouwerij Tetterode carved the statue. Queen Wilhelmina, or perhaps Juliana, unveiled it. The event drew dignitaries and Zijl himself. The statue features symbols. The women on the base represent being “carried on hands”. Figures on the sides symbolize mercy and justice. The back depicts a sanatorium Emma founded.
But the Koningin Emma statue hasn’t always stood undisturbed. In 1987, vandals decapitated Emma. The head was found in the bushes. It was soon repaired. The statue reminds us of Emma’s life. She married Willem III. The age gap was over 40 years. After Willem’s death, Emma became regent for Wilhelmina. She ruled until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday. Emma died of pneumonia in 1934. Antibiotics didn’t exist then. Her illness worsened. She is buried in Delft. The Koningin Emma Statue is a proud reminder. It honors a beloved queen mother. It stands as a testament to her strength. It embodies her compassion.