Have you ever seen that adorable photo of a little child during the Amsterdam 700 celebration? We’ve finally found out who he is! His name is Borka, and he now works for the West district at the City of Amsterdam. How special is that? Since he was only a toddler at the time, he doesn’t remember much from the day. But luckily, his mother remembers everything vividly. Borka and his mother take us back to that day in 1975.
Borka shares: “It was August 1975. I was almost four years old when my mother received a letter about Amsterdam's 700th jubilee year. The letter said that every child born on October 27 was invited to a celebration! There was an age division. I was among the younger children who were invited, so I got to go to Amstelpark. The older children and adults had a different location.”
“The letter also said that only one chaperone was allowed, which ended up being my mother, but my grandmother really wanted to come along too! They made an exception for her, which I thought was very nice!” His mother still had some photos from that day. In the photo on the left, you can see Borka in the middle, facing away. His grandmother is at the top, wearing a sleeveless white dress with a bag under her arm. His mother is to her right, wearing sunglasses.
His mother still fondly remembers how wonderful the day was, Borka shares. “The three of us took the bus to Amstelpark, and when we arrived, there was a little train waiting for us! That train took us all around Amstelpark. After that, we got lemonade and pancakes. But as you can see in the photo, I don’t think my mother got any... because she’s eating off my plate, haha!” Finally, Borka adds, “There was also a barrel organ, and I danced along. It was a fantastic and very special day!”
During Amsterdam's 750th jubilee year, there are plenty of activities for children. You can find these in the special Amsterdam 750 Events Calendar
