Amsterdam’s New Landmark: A 10-Meter-Tall Kissing Couple

▲ Amsterdam’s New Landmark Kissing Couple (Kissing Couple). (Photo /Kissing Couple XXXL Amsterdam fan page)

By Rita

Aside from windmills, cheese, and canals, people’s impressions of the Netherlands might also include the familiar blue porcelain “Kissing Couple” figurines. Now, in the Dutch capital, near Amsterdam’s IJ waterway, you can see a giant sculpture — located right by a popular cycling path used by locals.

The Kissing Coupleis a type of porcelain almost ubiquitous in Dutch tourism. Whether made into keychains, mugs, or decorative items, its heartwarming imagery has made it a must-buy souvenir for visitors.According to the Lonely Planet website, this porcelain has now been enlarged into a giant statue and is expected to become a new landmark. These two statues weigh about 6,700 kilograms and will be erected in a less touristy area of Amsterdam. They were commissioned by the bicycle alliance FietsCoalitie, a non-profit organization that encourages locals to cycle instead of using other modes of transportation.

Why was the statue placed here? Primarily to draw attention to this area through a well-known Dutch symbol. In fact, Amsterdam has many famous statues, such as the 1852 statue of painter Rembrandt erected in the Rembrandtplein.