Boekje over de Jan Rodenpoortstoren te Amsterdam, 1829 1829

Curator: What strikes me first is the incredible ephemerality of this "Boekje over de Jan Rodenpoortstoren te Amsterdam, 1829," essentially a short description printed just before the tower’s demolition. Editor: It feels almost ghostly. The fragility of the paper, the slightly blurred typography, it speaks of something fleeting, a moment right before oblivion. What can you tell me about this Jan Rodenpoortstoren? Curator: Well, this booklet, made by weduwe C. Kok-van Kolm, immortalizes the Jan Rodenpoortstoren through print and typography. It was written at a pivotal moment: October 1829, just as the tower met its end. So in a way it's kind of a beautiful paradox - a document of destruction, preservation through description, born on the very brink of obliteration. Editor: You said 'tower'… that word carries echoes for me, both literally, the way sounds reverberate in a tower, and metaphorically. A tower often represents stability, permanence, history. Was the Jan Rodenpoortstoren somehow symbolic? Curator: It appears the tower held local significance and was one of the smaller gates in Amsterdam, standing since 1480. The tower's history is connected with the evolution and urban landscape. As symbols of defense or status fade from practical relevance, the city reclaims its space, perhaps prioritizing progress over memory. The text becomes the only fortress! Editor: Fascinating! Considering that Kok-van Kolm published this right when the tower was to be no more, I cannot help to think of the psychological need to create continuity. As the city literally erased this landmark, this humble little book becomes a vessel for cultural memory, a printed monument. It reminds me of folk rituals of burial, where we honor the passing and ensure the story lives on. Curator: Exactly. I'd say we can appreciate that this small work gives us something back that would otherwise be gone. And although weduwe C. Kok-van Kolm may be someone obscure in our history now, she helped to recover some historical traces we wouldn't have access to. Editor: Definitely food for thought. That sense of memory lingering. I love the small, personal connection with something far bigger and time itself in motion.