Oosterpark

Oosterpark was laid out in 1891 to accommodate the nouveau riche diamond traders who found their fortunes in the South African mines, and it still has an elegant, rambling feel. On the south side, look for two monuments: one commemorates the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands in 1819; the other, De Schreeuw (the Scream), honours free speech and, more specifically, filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered at the southeast corner of the park in 2004. Another (living) monument to Van Gogh is the Spreeksteen, an open-forum ‘speakers’ corner’ established on the park’s east side in 2005 – scheduled talks (almost always in Dutch) are held on Sundays at 1.30pm.