Gezicht op de Schreierstoren in Amsterdam 1804

Willem Writs etched this view of the Schreierstoren in Amsterdam in the 18th century. See how the tower, a stout structure, stands by the water's edge, a silent sentinel, and consider its name – the "Weepers' Tower." This place served as a departure point, a site of farewells heavy with emotion. It echoes images of ports from antiquity where ships sailed to the unknown, leaving loved ones behind. Here, the act of weeping transforms into a ritual, a gesture of both grief and hope. The water, a constant presence, reflects not just the tower but also the tears shed, linking personal sorrow to the endless flow of history. The image of the tower and the weeping becomes a powerful mnemonic, a symbol deeply embedded in the city’s collective memory. Think of similar towers across cultures, each marking a point of departure, each bearing witness to the ebb and flow of human emotion. This is not merely a depiction of a place, but an evocation of a shared human experience, of longing, of loss, and of the enduring hope for return.