Thorbeckeplein richting Rembrandtplein, 1968

 Netherlands > North Holland > Amsterdam

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Pl. Torbekeplein - towards pl. Rembrandt: In the north, Regrasgracht rests on the small Thorbeckeplein square, which is named after Rudolf Torbeke (1798-1872), a liberal politician and three times Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He makes the fateful statement: “The government cannot act as an arbiter in the affairs of art and science: the government’s business is to give money to artists and scientists, the business of experts is to decide who exactly”. It is on this basis that the state subsidies have been distributed in Holland for the past 50 years. Torbekeplein flows smoothly into Rembrandtplein, the area where the main Amsterdam oil market used to be. Now it is a noisy place with a monument to Rembrandt in the center and tourist cafes around the perimeter.