Het Huis met den Hoofden in Amsterdam

You're standing on the Keizersgracht, in front of number 123: the House with the Heads. Look at the façade, at the level of the first floor. There are six heads, and they give the house its name. An old legend says they belong to six burglars, beheaded one by one by the kitchen maid with a meat cleaver. Great story, but they're actually six Roman gods, each with a symbol. Apollo with his laurel wreath stands for the arts, Ceres with ears of grain for farming, and Mercury with his winged helmet for trade. Then there's Minerva for wisdom, Bacchus with bunches of grapes for wine, and Diana with a crescent moon for hunting. The heads were added by a later owner, Louis de Geer. Mercury and Minerva flank the front door, because De Geer saw himself as a wise merchant.