D66 Returns to RAI After 60 Years

RAI Amsterdam has been located at its current site on Europaplein for quite some time. The first and original hall, Hall 1, together with the iconic advertising tower Het Signaal, dates back to 1961 and has since gained the status of industrial heritage. From the very beginning, in the 1960s, RAI served as the backdrop to a variety of historic events, including the legendary television broadcast Open het Dorp with Mies Bouwman, a visit by Martin Luther King, and the gathering at which D66 was almost, but not quite, founded.

Bij de ingang van parkeergarage P4 staat een standbeeld van beeldhouwer Carel Visser. De P4 bestaat nog niet zo lang: die is pas geopend in 2016. In de jaren zestig stond dit beeld in de lounge van het congrescentrum.

At the entrance to parking garage P4 stands a sculpture by artist Carel Visser. P4 itself is relatively new, having opened in 2016. Back in the 1960s, however, this sculpture stood in the lounge of the congress centre.

It was in that congress centre that a group of political "renewers" gathered in December 1966 to establish a new political party. What was meant to become a historic meeting was in danger of coming to a standstill. After two days of intensive discussions, there was still no final party programme. Time had also run out, as the congress centre had new tenants arriving and the participants were required to vacate the venue.

The delegates found themselves standing somewhat discouraged in the lounge. And there stood that large sculpture. As those present wondered what to do next, Hans van Mierlo climbed onto the artwork. According to the story, he even hung from the sculpture by one arm while addressing the group. From this unusual vantage point, he proposed a solution: a third congress day would be needed to finish the work.

On that third day, held on Boxing Day 1966 at the Krasnapolsky Hotel, the remaining issues were finally resolved and D66 was officially founded. Yet everyone who was there vividly remembers the image of Hans van Mierlo climbing on, and hanging from, the sculpture in the RAI. What Carel Visser himself thought of this use of his artwork, we will never know.

Many of those involved later recalled not only the political discussions of those days, but above all that remarkable moment when Hans van Mierlo climbed into the sculpture.
https://youtu.be/HqewhQR6CXM?si=Vm3JXU3K1nWEKCfs

There is not a great deal of visual material available to support the story. In the photograph shown here on the right, the trained eye can recognise the contours of the sculpture. A few years ago, a short documentary was produced about this event. At 3:21 and again at 6:13 in the video, we can actually see Hans van Mierlo holding onto the sculpture.

This year, sixty years later, D66 is celebrating its anniversary at the RAI, on the very spot where it all began. Whether the sculpture should remain at the entrance of P4 or be temporarily moved back to the congress centre is something we have not quite decided yet. Before you know it, Rob Jetten might start climbing on it too.