Sarphatipark

Lonely Planet review

This diverse little park was named after Samuel Sarphati (1813-66), a Jewish doctor, businessman and urban innovator. The grounds are a thoughtful mix of ponds, gently rolling meadow and wooded fringe. In the centre you'll see the Sarphati memorial (1886), a bombastic temple with fountain, gargoyles and a bust of the great man himself. Water is pumped to the fountain via an underground pipe from a canal hundreds of metres away.

Sarphati's diverse projects - a waste-disposal service, slaughterhouse, factory for cheap bread, trades and business schools, the Amstel Hotel and a mortgage bank - exasperated the dour city council, though many of these ventures survive to this day.