Piet Heyn (1577-1629) was a skilled navigator and naval commander. He was known as a down-to-earth, resourceful, fearless and skilled in trade. With these qualities he first entered the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Later he was given command of a number of missions of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). In this capacity Heyn is considered a prominent representative of the colonial regime. On the high seas – often in war situations and surrounded by piracy – the Delfshaven native showed remarkable clemency. Heyn had respect for the Spanish enemy (he had spent almost ten years in captivity), spoke with compassion about the fate of Africans and criticized the treatment of enslaved Indians in America: 'Is it any wonder the Indian wants to avenge his suffering on us? Friendship must come from our side, because we visit them - they did not visit us. '
Heyn had nothing to do with the slave trade. It was only six years after Heyn's death that the WIC abandoned the commandment that 'slave trade is an unlawful form of trade for Christians'. However, Piet Heyn does not owe his statue to such views. It was the conquest of the Silver Fleet that established his name for good. Heyn managed to capture several Spanish ships that were loaded with silver from American mines. Although the conquest did not amount to much (the Spanish enemy had fled through cowardice), the capture of the booty was regarded as a heroic act in the Netherlands. The enormous capital (almost 12 million guilders - converted to about half a billion euros today) went to the WIC, its shareholders and stadtholder Prince Frederik Hendrik. On 17 June 1629, Heyn, who had by then been appointed admiral of the Dutch navy, was hit full on by a cannonball, shot from a ship with privateers from Ostend. Heyn died instantly.
The veneration of Piet Heyn received a powerful boost in the nineteenth century. Nationalism was at its peak – national pride had to be displayed in the public domain. Citizens were expected to be proud of their past. This allowed a culture of remembrance to develop, in which historical figures were depicted in statues, paintings and medallions. Streets were named after them and stories were written about them. This hero worship often referred back to the seventeenth century, the 'Golden Age'. Scientists and thinkers were depicted in stone or bronze, such as Christiaan Huygens and Spinoza. But also commanders-in-chief such as Michiel de Ruyter and Maarten Tromp, and VOC administrators such as Jan Pieterszoon Coen were given statues. In 1867, that other naval hero, Piet Heyn, was given a statue made of snow in his birthplace Delfshaven. However, the thaw put an end to the initiative after five days. This was followed by the call for a permanent statue. And that was also achieved. The monument, made by sculptor Jos Graven (1836-1877), was initially placed near the place where Piet Heyn first saw the light of day (Piet Heynsplein). The unveiling was performed by King Willem III. Since 1886, when Delfshaven was added to Rotterdam, the statue has been part of the Rotterdam sculpture collection. In 1966, this national monument moved to its current location.
