Ode to Lucretia van Merken | No park, street, bridge, square or church is named after her in Amsterdam

The female Vondel

In Amsterdam, you have the Vondelpark, the Vondelstraat, the Vondelkerk, the Vondeltuin and in the park a statue of Vondel. Almost everyone has also heard of 'Gijsbrecht van Amstel'. This is the play by Joost van den Vondel, the famous playwright and poet of the 17th century.

But how many of you know Lucretia van Merken? She lived a century after Joost van den Vondel and she was as famous as Vondel at the time, but in the eighteenth century. No park, street, bridge, square or church is named after her in Amsterdam. Not even the city theatre on Leidseplein even though that would be a good place. Incomprehensible.

Lucretia was born on 24 August 1721 and lived on Keizersgracht near Herenstraat. She was daughter of Jacob van Merken, furrier, and Susanne Wilhelmina Brandt. At 24, she wrote her first tragedy 'Amteminus'. She writes a total of seven lament plays alongside many epics and psalms. Her teaching poem 'Het nut der tegenspoeden' is very popular. She cared for her father, mother and sickly sister and at 47 she married the widower Nicolaas van Winter.

Lucretia was very famous and her tragedies were popular among all walks of life. For this reason, Amsterdam's theatre management asked her to write the play with which the new theatre on Leidseplein was reopened on 14 September 1774. It will be the play 'Jacob Simonsz de Rijk'. According to tradition, interest in the performance was such that even soldiers could barely contain the crowd. Spectators suffered bruises and lost hats, wigs, caps, shoes and torn clothes. They were close to being killed, according to eyewitnesses.

The magazine 'Vaderlandse letteroefeningen' refers to Lucretia van Merken as Holland's most famous poet. In her time, she was applauded by readers and colleagues. Her tragedies were performed in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Leiden.

The couple moved to Leiden in 1783. Lucretia died on 19 October 1789. She reached the age of 68 and was buried in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. A Leiden poet society raised money to erect a monument on her grave, which unfortunately has never been placed to date.