The Destroyed City

The Destroyed City is a memorial statue made of bronze in the city of Rotterdam. It commemorates the German bombing of the city on May 14, 1940. It was unveiled in 1953 and is considered the largest statue by the Russian-born French sculptor Ossip Zadkine. The statue depicts a reclining human figure. On a tree trunk, holding both hands high and his head pushing back as if crying, with a hole in his stomach and chest. This void in the chest and heart indicates the destruction of the center of Rotterdam. The statue was classified as a national monument in 2010 as a result of its historical importance and widespread fame.