In front of you you see the statue of erotically-tinted Eastern dancer Mata Hari.
Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) was born in Leeuwarden, to an upper middle class Dutch couple. At the age of thirteen, her father's business failed, leading the family to bankruptcy. Her mother shortly died after her parent's divorce, with her father soon remarrying and moving to Amsterdam with his new family. Mata Hari pursued an education initially, however this soon was halted after her godfather got wind of her flirtations with the headmaster at the school she was studying at and therefore withdrew her from her studies. Soon after, Mata Hari married a Scotsman with the name of Rudolf MacLeod with whom she had two children. The marriage itself was quite difficult to MacLeod, he openly flaunted his mistress. The marriage however, aided Mata Hari in climbing up the social ladder. After a hectic divorce, Mata Hari obtained the custody of their daughter, but her husband forcefully took over the custody of the daughter, when she was once visiting. Mata Hari decided not to fight her husband on this matter and moved on.
After her marriage failed and her son died, she decided to move to Paris in 1905. Here she took dance lessons and so her career as erotically-tinted Eastern dancer began. She decided to take on a stage name: Mata Hari.
Mata Hari was quite successful in her profession. She took on several big shows in different European cities. However, several rumors surrounded Mata Hari as well. She was a woman that loved her luxury. Supposedly, she used her charm to get men to give her her luxury.
In 1916, Mata Hari came in contact with the German intelligence services and she received instructions written with invisible ink. In the summer of 1916, she started spying for the French in Brussels. Later that year, November 6, she went to the Netherlands to board a ship, where she was mistaken for the German spy, Clara Benedix. And even though they realized the mistake, she remained a suspect because she admitted that she received orders from Captain Ladoux. On 13 February 1917, she was arrested in Elysées Palace Hotel. She was interrogated 14 times within 4 months. It was thought that she was a double spy, though none such thing has ever been proven.
Her trial took place on 24-25 July 1917. The final verdict was guilty, and Mata Hari was sentenced to death. On the morning of 15 October 1917 Mata Hari was executed by a shooting squad at the local shooting range.
Proceed your way on 'Over de kelders' and take the first turn left onto 'Minnemastraat'. Walk on until you reach 'Eewal' and make a right turn. Than, immediately turn left to get onto a small alley called 'Zuupsteeg'. This alley has some dark history surrounding it itself as well. So do not wonder and walk on... When you get out of 'Zuupsteeg' you will get onto 'Speelmansstraat'. Make a right turn and than turn left immediately to get onto 'Krommejat'. At the end, turn right to reach the Jewish memorial.
