The portrait of former alderman Monne de Miranda (1875-1942) returns to the city hall of Amsterdam. On Friday, March 21, exactly 150 years after his birth, the painting will be transferred from the depot of the Amsterdam Museum. This is at the request of the committee Free Monne from the depot, which advocated for a visible place for his portrait in the city hall.

Mayor Halsema decided to retrieve the portrait. “A leader with such a long record deserves a prominent place in the city hall,” she said.

Alderman with a mission

De Miranda came from a poor Jewish family. He was born in 1875 in Nieuwe Kerkstraat in the ‘Jewish Corner’. He left school at the age of 11 and became a diamond cutter. Between 1919 and 1939, he served as alderman with two interruptions. Together with the elegant alderman Wibaut (1859-1936), he was instrumental in alderman socialism. The municipality had much more policy freedom back then than it does now and had already developed a local welfare state in Amsterdam. After World War II, the welfare state was established throughout the Netherlands under the socialist Prime Minister Willem Drees (1886-1988). (Willem Drees also grew up in poor conditions in Amsterdam.)

Monne de Miranda had a clear mission: to ensure better living conditions for workers in Amsterdam. He was a strong advocate of the garden city idea, where working-class families no longer had to live in cramped, unhealthy homes, but received a house in a green, spacious neighborhood. Under his administration, many social rental homes were built, allowing more and more Amsterdammers to have a decent roof over their heads.

But he did more. De Miranda believed it was important for children to learn to swim safely and therefore advocated for municipal swimming facilities. He also fought against poverty and ensured that people in need could receive support from the municipality. His work had a significant impact and made the lives of many Amsterdammers much better.

Forced resignation and the war years

Despite his efforts, De Miranda had to resign in 1939. He was accused of irregularities in the allocation of building land. De Miranda suffered a mental breakdown and was temporarily placed in a psychiatric facility. A committee later exonerated him, but the damage had already been done. His political career was over. He wrote the defense document Pro domo, which was only published in 1997.

During World War II, he became a target of the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage and political background. On July 18, 1942, he was arrested and taken to Camp Amersfoort. There he was held under severe conditions and severely abused by fellow prisoners. He died on November 3, 1942, from the consequences of this severe abuse.

A portrait as a tribute

The municipality knew how important De Miranda had been for Amsterdam. In 1948, the city commissioned painter Eli Neuburger to create a portrait of him. It was unveiled in 1952 and took a place in the city hall. It hung there until 1988. Then it became part of the collection of the Amsterdam Museum, where it was on display since 1999. Due to the renovation of the museum, it ultimately disappeared into the depot. Now, 150 years after his birth, the portrait is once again given a place in the city hall. It is a tribute to a leader who dedicated his whole life to a just Amsterdam.