Speech of thanks by Princess Máxima at Battery Park

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your unbelievable welcome to us here at the Battery. Thank you, Warrie Price and Bill Rudin, for being such wonderful hosts and for making us feel so very much at home.

When I lived and worked as a banker in New York City in the late nineties Battery park was still very much under construction. Personally, I have special memories of this place: Battery Park is where I went out rollerblading with a nice Dutchman I had met, who would later ask me to marry him, and to become a Princess of the Netherlands in the process.

It is breathtaking to see how Battery Park has developed since these rollerblading days. Thanks to the unrelentless efforts of so many here, nature, beauty and space have been brought back for the public to enjoy, creating a true 'emerald doorstep of New York'. Parks like these do not only bring people closer to nature, or allow for recreation and relaxation; they actually bring people closer to each other.

Also, thanks to the vision of our hosts, and the talents of people such as Adrian Benepe and Piet Oudolf, New York is no longer standing with its back towards the water. But with graceful gardens and new bikeways, the city is turning its face towards the water. What is happening here should be an inspiration to densely populated cities all over the world.

Many of you may know that 'battery' comes from the Dutch word 'batterij', referring to the mighty guns that were stationed just here to protect the 17th century colony of New Amsterdam from its enemies. It is therefore most appropriate that exactly this place was chosen to erect the New Amsterdam Pavillion as a most visible and striking memento of 400 years shared history and special friendship between the United States and the Netherlands.

The Pavillion will not be just another monument, but a vibrant, open and people-oriented structure; very much in line with the instinctual preferences of both New Yorkers and the Dutch. As Russell Shorto so vividly describes in his book 'The Island at the Center of the World', from the very outset, the citizens of the New Amsterdam colony valued open-mindedness, tolerance, an enterprising spirit, free trade, a solid work ethic and a strong belief in freedom of speech and freedom of religion. A tiny bit of Dutch DNA was planted in New Amsterdam 400 years ago, and still lives on in what makes many present day New Yorkers and Dutchmen tick.

For me, born and raised as an Argentinian, some of this was new. In a funny way, New York City was my first acquaintance with many things and views that I now hold so dear in the Netherlands. With the benefit of hindsight, my five years in New York may well have been a necessary step to get to where I am now, and I am hugely grateful for it.

Dear friends, we have come to Battery Park to unveil the pavilion, and also brought a gift of Dutch tulips for your beautiful parks. But the most important thing of all is this joint celebration of our wonderful shared history and special friendship in this historical and beautiful place. A true feeling of coming home, for which we are immensely grateful!

May I therefore propose a toast. A toast to a bright future for the New Amsterdam Pavilion, the Battery Gardens and to all the people that work so hard to make it hapen.

Thank you very much.