Unveiled on 1 July 2002 in Oosterpark by Queen Beatrix, the Nationaal Monument Slavernijverleden (National Slavery Monument) commemorates the transatlantic slave trade carried out under Dutch colonial rule and the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies on 1 July 1863 -- the Netherlands was the last country in Europe to abolish it. Designed by Surinamese sculptor Erwin de Vries, the bronze monument is composed of three parts symbolizing the past (resistance), present (breaking of chains), and future (freedom). Every 1 July, the Surinamese and Antillean communities in Amsterdam mark Keti Koti ('breaking of chains') here with a wreath-laying ceremony, dressing the statues for the occasion.