On Wednesday 7 October it was 74 years since Queen Juliana and mayor d’Ailly opened the garden city of Slotermeer in 1952.
Westerpost journalist Shirley Brandeis, writing about the opening for her book series Memorabele Mokumse Mikmak, found that the official story of the first residents was wrong.
On opening day the royal party visited the Reusch family at Walraven van Hallweg 5, who were presented as the first residents.
Ingrid van Poelgeest says her parents had moved in next door a day earlier but were not Catholic, which the Catholic housing association preferred.
Her father rang the bell to point this out, and the royal party also called at number 7, though the family photo album is now lost.
The first household was at a windmill
Yet Hendrik and Maartje van Beem had lived in the 1200 Roe windmill on Haarlemmerweg since their wedding in April 1952.
Hendrik, a miller’s son, converted the bare mill himself, adding a bathroom, three bedrooms and attic space for his model trains.
Over the years the open polder around them became a built-up area with a motorway, and 32 neighbours soon overlooked the mill.
Many of them signed a petition when there was talk of the mill disappearing.
Check out our guide to Amsterdam’s history.