Marie Heinekenplein
The first Heineken beer was brewed on this ground on 22 January 1868. What replaced the brewery — demolished in 1988 — is a circular plaza about 70 metres across, with a star-shaped fountain at its centre that nods quietly to the logo of the company that once stood here.
Today the square belongs to De Pijp rather than to any corporate legacy. Café terraces ring most of the circumference, catching sun for a good stretch of the day. In summer, children wade in the fountain while their parents occupy every available chair. It is an ordinary neighbourhood square doing exactly what a good one should.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it right: mid-morning on a weekday, when the terraces are half-full and the fountain is yours to sit beside. The cafés along the southern edge, where Quellijnstraat meets the square, tend to be quieter than those facing Ferdinand Bolstraat. On event days — a book market, an open-air cinema — the atmosphere shifts entirely.
The story behind Marie Heinekenplein
The Heineken brewery operated on this site from 1868 until most of it was demolished in 1988. Construction of the square began in 1993, and the naming process turned out to be more complicated than anyone anticipated. The original plan was to honour Nelson Mandela, but Amsterdam's street-naming rules prohibit naming public spaces after living people. The proposal was further shelved following Winnie Mandela's 1991 conviction for kidnapping and being an accessory to assault.
A compromise landed on Marie Heineken (1844–1930), a Dutch painter known for flower still lifes and a relative of brewery founder Gerard Adriaan Heineken. The square was formally named after her in 1994. In 2015, the central fountain was added, its star shape drawn from the Heineken logo — a small, deliberate reminder of what once stood here.
Good to know
Tram lines 16 and 24 stop nearby, and the De Pijp metro station on Ferdinand Bolstraat opened in 2018. No admission, no ticket. Evenings around the square can get loud — bars draw a crowd — so if quiet is what you want, come earlier in the day.
Spring, particularly late April through May, brings mild temperatures around 13–17°C and the least rainfall of the year — good conditions for sitting outside. Summer averages 19–22°C with occasional showers; autumn turns wetter and windier from October onward, and winter winds off the streets can be sharp.
Where is Marie Heinekenplein?
Location
- In De Pijp
- 52.3582, 4.8916
- Open in Google Maps
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