Leidseplein
Leidseplein—Leiden Square—is a central Amsterdam square where the Weteringschans, Marnixstraat, and Leidsestraat meet, immediately northeast of the Singelgracht. Its name points back to the old road from Leiden, which historically ended here; for a time, this busy crossing functioned as a parking area for horse-drawn traffic. Today, modern traffic flows through the square, while the side streets are lined with restaurants and nightclubs, with the Stadsschouwburg rising as the most notable landmark nearby. Leidseplein also belongs to a darker chapter in recent Dutch history. On February 22, 2022, a 27-year-old man took hostages inside an Apple Store on Leidse Square; after a forced police breach, all hostages were rescued, but the hostage taker was killed. The incident sits about 250 metres from where crime reporter Peter R. de Vries was murdered.
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