Little Woodcutter

Amsterdam


Hidden up in the Leidsebosje parkland's closest tree to the pedestrian crossing on Stadhouderskade (where it intersects with Leidseplein) is an endearing surprise: a 50cm-high bronze sculpture of a little woodcutter leaning over and sawing a branch with both hands. The sculpture was installed in 1989, but the artist remains anonymous (rumours persist that it was commissioned by then-sovereign Queen Beatrix). The tree has since grown around the little woodcutter and now engulfs his shoes and saw.

Transportation

  • tram: 1/2/5 Leidseplein

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Amsterdam attractions

1. Hard Rock Hotel Amsterdam American

0.06 MILES

This building is a magnificent art nouveau beast. The founder of the original hotel, Cornelis Alidus Anne (CAA) Steinigeweg had helped establish a Dutch…

2. Vondelpark

0.11 MILES

Attracting over 12 million visitors per year, Amsterdam’s favorite playground is the green expanse of Vondelpark, with its 116 acres (47 hectares) of…

3. Leidseplein

0.14 MILES

Historic architecture, beer, clubs and steakhouses – welcome to Leidseplein. The square is always busy, but after dark it gets thronged by a mainstream…

4. Blauw Jan

0.14 MILES

There's a surprise waiting in Kleine Gartmanplantsoen park: 40 huge, lifelike lizards nestled in the grass and sunning themselves on the brickwork. It's a…

5. Amsterdam Pipe Museum

0.22 MILES

This museum is located in the grand 17th-century canal house of the marvellously single-minded pipe collector who gathered this unexpectedly fascinating…

6. Diamond Museum

0.27 MILES

The extensive bling on display at the small, low-tech Diamond Museum is all clever recreations. You get a lot of background on the history of the trade…

7. House of Bols

0.29 MILES

Cheesy but fun: here you undertake an hour's self-guided tour through this jenever (Dutch gin) museum. In the 'Hall of Taste' you'll try to differentiate…

8. Rijksmuseum

0.3 MILES

The Netherlands’ top treasure house, the Rijksmuseum (pronounced ‘rikes’), is among the world's finest art museums. With over 1.5km of galleries, it packs…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "the-netherlands/amsterdam/vondelpark-and-around/attractions/little-woodcutter/a/poi-sig/1524040/1323043",
      "destination": "Amsterdam",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "The-Netherlands",
      "city": "Amsterdam",
      "position": "superzone"
    }