Bombing of Amsterdam

You might not realize it, but the place where you are standing was the site of a bombing during the Second World War. On May 11, 1940, a German bomber dropped four bombs on the centre of Amsterdam. Three fell on the Blauwburgwal, near the Herengracht. In an instant, seventeen houses were destroyed. Forty-four people were killed and seventy-nine were injured. The fourth bomb landed in the canal and did not explode.

It was the only bombing of Amsterdam’s city centre during the war. There was no clear military target. The aircraft may have been hit and dropped its bombs to lose weight, or it missed a nearby post office. The victims were buried quietly and for decades their names remained unknown. Only in 2016 were they officially identified and commemorated.

Today, a plaque at the Blauwburgwal remembers this forgotten tragedy.