Rembrandtplein
Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands, named after the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn who owned a house nearby from 1639 to 1656.
The square has its origins in the defensive walls constructed in the Middle Ages to protect the city. The site of Rembrandtplein held a Regulierspoort or gateway into the city. By 1655, the city had expanded beyond this area and it began to attract visiting farmers who brought their butter, dairy and poultry products to sell in the city and it became known as Botermarkt or butter market. By 1668, the Regulierspoort housed a Waaggebouw or weigh house. Each autumn, the square hosted a fair and the farmers' stalls were replaced by dance orchestras and circus tents. The market continued under this name until 1876 when a statue of Rembrandt by sculptor Louis Royer was moved from the perimeter to the centre of the square and it was renamed Rembrandtplein (eng.: Rembrandt Square).
By the early twentieth century, the square developed into a centre for nightlife drawing artists, young people and laborers. To serve these visitors, several hotels, cafés and entertainment venues opened in the adjoining streets. The area continues to be popular with residents and tourists.
The square is bordered on the east by Utrechtsestraat, Reguliersdwarsstraat on the south, Regulierbreestraat on the north and Halvemaansbrug on the west. The largest building on the square, across Utrechtsestraat, was designed in 1926 by architects Bert Johan Ouëndag and Hendrik Petrus Berlage as the head office of the Amsterdamsche Bank, later ABN AMRO. ABN AMRO vacated the structure in 2002 and in 2011 it reopened as retail office building named simply The Bank with 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft) of space after a five-year renovation.
Thorbeckeplein, named after politician Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872), is adjacent to the south, and leads to Herengracht.
Tram lines 4, 9 and 14 operate on Regulierbreestraat and connect Rembrandtplein to the Stopera, northwest across the Blauwbrug (Blue Bridge) on the Amstel River, Dam Square to the northeast, and Amsterdam Centraal railway station.
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