The Oude Kerk ("old church") is Amsterdam's oldest building. It is situated in De Wallen District — the centre of the present red-light district. In 1306, on the site of the Church, fishermen built a small temple in the honour of St. Nicolas, the saint patron of children, sailors, merchants and the city itself; this is why one encounters images of ships everywhere in the Church.
In the course of the following three centuries, the Church was extended many times. As a result of that, the Church included 10 chapels, a baptistery and a bell tower.
Today, the Oude Kerk's bell tower features Amsterdam's oldest bell, cast in 1450. Specially for the Oude Kerk's tower, the famous master Francois Hemony produced a carillon; its melodious chime may now be heard every Saturday at 4 PM.
In 1578, during the Reformation, the Church was occupied by protestants who destroyed many of the older catholic paintings. There, only by miracle fragments of a unique wooden roof, dated back to 1390, have survived.
Of special interest are preserved ceiling paintings, dated back to the 15th and 16th centuries; they depict saints and Bible scenes. It is worth noting that practically the entire floor of the Church is composed of tombstones: people were still buried here up until 1865. The Oude Kerk contains around 2,500 graves, where about 10,000 people were laid to rest.
The Church is also known as a venue for organ and chamber-music concerts. Three organs, situated in the Church, are exceptionally valuable. The oldest of them was constructed as early as in 1658; the second one, a cabinet organ, is dated back to the mid-18th century; and the third one, built in 1724, is considered to be one of Europe's best Baroque organs.
It is well-known that the Oude Kerk used to be very popular among the city's residents; it was the Oude Kerk that Rembrandt visited many times, and it was there that he baptised his children. And it was also there that the famous organist Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck started his career.
Today, of historical and artistic value are the stained-glass windows, created in 1555 based on sketches by Dirk Crabeth and Lambert van Noort.
In 1584 to 1611, the building of the Church was used for a stock exchange.
In 1951, the Church was shut down because of danger of collapse, and it took 24 years to restore the building.
The Nieuwe Kerk or New Church is one of the most cultic buildings in Amsterdam. The Church is located in the middle of the city centre at Dam Square next to the Royal Palace.
The Nieuwe Kerk had been under construction since 1380, when Willem Eggert, a rich citizen, banker and city council member who was a financial expert by William VI of Holla...
The Westerkerk ("western church") is considered to be the best work by Hendrick de Keyser. Its construction started in 1620 and finished in 1631, ten years after the prominent Amsterdam architect died.
The Church has been reconstructed and rebuilt several times. However, the original appearance has been mainly kept. The Westerkerk was built in t...
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