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Thought's Freedom. 'De vrijheid van de Gedachte' by Hildo Krop, Oranje-Vrijstaatplein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In 1951 well-known city sculptor of Amsterdam, Hildo Krop (1884-1970), completed a sculpture commissioned by the Dutch Post, Telegraph, and Telephone Company to grace its new headquarters. Later it was moved to its present location on the Oranje-Vrijstaatplein.

Krop took his inspiration from a poem by classical scholar and poet Pieter Cornelis Boutens (1870-1943) entitled 'Freedom of Thought':

 

'Gesproken of geschreven, leent het Woord

de vleuglen van zijn moeder, de gedachte,

En snelt, verstild, bij dagen en bij nachten

Alsweegs naar zijn bestemming voort'.

 

The sculpture shows Word - spoken or written - borrowing the wings of its mother, thought, and by day and night hastening to its destination. And shouting out its message, the naked truth.

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Uploaded on September 29, 2025
Taken on September 29, 2025