Rembrandtplein

Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

It is named after the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn. The square used to be a butter market but developed into a centre for nightlife with the opening of various hotels and cafés. There are bars chock-a-block with people singing along to Dutch folk songs at the top of their voices, and a few large clubs. This makes it very popular with tourists as well. The popularity of Rembrandtplein has arisen along with the café terraces, which are packed during summer. In the middle of the square is a green rectangle of grass with a statue of Rembrandt himself, in front of which there used to stand smaller statues representated in his most famous painting The Night Watch.

The biggest building on the square is the former head office of the Amsterdamsche Bank (latterly ABN AMRO), which is currently undergoing renovation. It is linked to Muntplein by Reguliersbreestraat, down which tram numbers 4, 9 and 14 run (which stop in Rembrandtplein), and to the Blauwbrug (Blue bridge) over the Amstel river by Amstelstraat. Thorbeckeplein, named after Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872), is adjacent to the south, leading to Herengracht. At 7.6 by 15 meters, the biggest LCD-screen in Europe is located at Rembrandtplein. Passers-by can interact with the screen with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.

The square borders on the Reguliersdwarsstraat, a street widely known for its popularity in the gay scene. Twenty two bronze figures created by the Russian artists Alexander Taratynov and Mikhail Dronov were placed in the middle of the square in 2006. These figures are characters from Rembrandt's most famous painting The Night Watch. This painting can be seen in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. In 2009 the bronze figures were moved to New York City, in 2010 - to Moscow, in 2011 - to Oranienbaum, Russia.