De kus

Updated April 15, 2024

De Kus, Apeldoorn

## De Kus (Apeldoorn): the kiss-shaped landmark on Stationsplein

De Kus is a public artwork on Stationsplein in Apeldoorn (7311 NL), Netherlands—a striking, slender steel sculpture that reads as two line-figures meeting in a kiss when viewed from the right angle.

It’s credited to Dutch artist Jeroen Henneman.

### Why De Kus matters in Apeldoorn
De Kus isn’t “just” a piece of station-area decoration. Multiple sources describe it as a royal wedding gift from Apeldoorn, connected to the marriage of (then) Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima on 2 February 2002—a detail that’s also reported as being inscribed on the sculpture’s base.

That context matters because Apeldoorn’s civic identity is closely tied to the Dutch royal family, and De Kus sits in a very deliberate location: right where arrivals, departures, and reunions happen—making the “kiss” theme feel less abstract and more like a lived daily ritual.

## Where it is (and what to look for)
– Location: Stationsplein, beside Station Apeldoorn.
– Coordinates: Wikipedia lists 52° 12′ 35″ N, 5° 58′ 5″ E (which matches the area around the station square).

### What you’re seeing
De Kus is described as a tall, elegant form in stainless steel (roestvast staal / RVS), culminating in two simplified outlines that appear to kiss in mid-air.

If you approach it casually from the side, it can read like a dramatic abstract gesture. If you position yourself carefully in front of it, the “two faces meeting” becomes clearer—several local write-ups emphasize that the kiss is easiest to spot from the right vantage point rather than at first glance.

## Height, date, and the “conflicting numbers” problem
If you’re writing or fact-checking this landmark, you’ll run into contradictory specifics across sources:

– Height: Wikipedia states 17 meters.
– Another local history source says it “ends at 21 meters” and frames that as the height where the kissing figures appear.
– A local article claims it has been there since 2007 and calls it 7 meters tall—this sharply conflicts with the other two accounts.

What we can say with confidence: reputable sources agree it is a very tall station-square sculpture by Henneman, but published heights differ (7 m vs 17 m vs 21 m). If you need a single number for structured data, you’ll want to verify it using a primary/municipal source or an on-site measurement—not just secondary write-ups.

– Completion/unveiling vs “year of the sculpture”: one history page describes the sculpture as finished and unveiled in 2006 (after the 2002 wedding).
Wikipedia calls it “a sculpture from 2007,” which may reflect placement/official dating rather than fabrication/unveiling.

Outdated-data flag: treat “exact height” and “exact year” as potentially inconsistent across sources. The safest factual phrasing is: gift connected to the 2002 wedding; completed/unveiled mid-2000s; commonly dated 2006–2007 depending on the source.

## How to experience De Kus well (practical, not obvious)
### 1) Use it as a navigation anchor, not a “destination”
Because De Kus is on Stationsplein, it works best as a meeting point and orientation marker—exactly how locals describe it: “meet at De Kus” is functionally useful when the station itself is busy.

### 2) Walk a slow half-circle for the reveal
The kiss reads strongest when you shift your angle rather than staring from one spot. If you’re photographing:
– Try a low angle upward to isolate the “line-drawing” effect against the sky.
– Then step laterally until the two silhouettes visually “connect” at the top.

(That’s not trivia; it’s the difference between an abstract metal form and a clearly legible kiss.)

### 3) Notice the base as a designed “pause point”
Wikipedia notes the stone plinth functions as seating, reinforcing its role as a waiting/meeting sculpture, not a fenced-off artwork.

## Cultural context: a modern counterpart to Apeldoorn’s earlier royal gift
Apeldoorn has another well-known royal-marriage monument: De Naald (1901), gifted for the wedding of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik.

Several sources explicitly connect De Kus to that tradition—two different eras, two different artistic languages:
– De Naald: classical commemorative monument (early 20th century framing).
– De Kus: a contemporary “standing drawing” idea attributed to Henneman’s approach (a modern civic gesture placed at the city’s arrival point).

## Suggested internal links for RealJourneyTravels.com
(“If possible” given—these are contextual suggestions without assuming your site’s exact URL structure.)
– Paleis Het Loo (Apeldoorn) — tie the station-square landmark to the city’s royal ecosystem.
– De Naald monument (Apeldoorn) — the cleanest historical comparison that deepens the story beyond a quick photo stop.

## Quick facts (only what the sources support)
– Name: De Kus
– Type: Public artwork / sculpture on Stationsplein
– City: Apeldoorn, Netherlands
– Artist: Jeroen Henneman
– Royal connection: described as a gift linked to the 2 Feb 2002 wedding of Willem-Alexander and Máxima
– Height/year: inconsistent across published sources (flag for verification before you hard-code it)

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