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In grateful memory of and in honour of H.M. Queen Emma' is chiselled in the stone of this monumental bench with wooden seat. It is a monument without frills, austere and simple in its design. The original bench was designed in 1935 by Jan Wils and dedicated to Queen Emma. The architect Wils was one of the pioneers of Nieuwe Bouwen, a movement in architecture in which sober functionalism gained ground on the decorative building style of the Amsterdam School (1916-1926). The Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam (1928) was designed by Wils.
After the death of her husband King William III in 1890, Emma, born Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1858-1934), became regent for her ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina, the heir to the throne. Emma was an exceptionally popular queen. It goes without saying that shortly after her death in 1934, ideas arose for a tribute. In 1935, Wils submitted his design for a monumental bench to a competition organised by the Order of Freemasons. Three years later, his memorial was completed and unveiled. Unfortunately, the monument was severely damaged in the Second World War. The current bench is a slightly modified reconstruction of Wils's earlier memorial.
That the bench stands diagonally in front of the Lange Voorhout palace is certainly no coincidence. This city palace was one of the Queen's favourite residences. Queen Emma acquired the building in 1896. She had it thoroughly renovated and converted and lived there until her death in 1934. Since 1993, the 18th-century Lange Voorhout palace has functioned as an independent museum, 'Escher in het Paleis', and houses an extensive collection of works by the artist of the same name, among other things.