32 dead, 32 stones
Memorial for the victims of the shooting
on May 7th, 1945 at Dam Square in Amsterdam.
The Memorial
32 dead, 32 stones is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the shooting on May 7th, 1945 at the Dam Square in Amsterdam.
Newspapers reported 19 to 40 casualties after the shooting. The drama was dismissed as an ‘ill-fated misunderstanding’. For decades in-depth research into the actual circumstances that led to the shooting and the number of casualties and their names failed to be undertaken, until the Foundation Memorial 2015 for Dam victims May 7 1945 stepped in. Thanks to the foundation’s efforts 32 victims have now been given a name and a face.
Collective design, collective commemoration
Between June 2015 and March 2016, on the interactive website placeastone.nl, 15,509 virtual stones were placed that shaped the letters of the victims’ names. In this way the act of both co-design and commemoration acquires new meaning by giving people the opportunity to participate actively in the development en realisation of this unique memorial. On march 1, 2016, the collective end result was transferred to stone reliefs, and embedded in the pavement of the Dam Square. The memorial’s unveiling took place on may 7, 2016