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Oude Kerk or Old Church
The Oude Kerk is one of the most impressive religious temples in Amsterdam. In the heart of the Red Light District, it hosts multiple artistic manifestations.
The Oude Kerk is the oldest building in Amsterdam, with a history spanning eight centuries. We are left with no remains of the original small wooden building because it was replaced at the beginning of the 14th century by the current Gothic structure, dedicated to the patron saint of the Amsterdam sailors: Saint Nicholas.
However, the city continued to grow, making the construction of a new temple necessary. A new church, the Nieuwe Kerk, thus rises next to Dam Square, taking the old one from its current name: Oude Kerk.
From then on, the building lost its leading role within the local liturgy, the Old Church being used for different purposes, as a large "multipurpose" municipal space. Inside, sailors even gathered to mend their nets and sails. However, it never lost its religious character and to this day it remains one of the favorite places for the citizens of Amsterdam to celebrate their weddings.
The current image of the Oude Kerk is completed in 1565 with the addition of the 14th century tower's wooden spire, although only thirteen years later, in 1578, the interior of the temple would be stripped of its decoration by the Calvinist reformers, iconoclasts, that is, against the representation of images. This explains why the interior of the Old Church is very open, drawing attention to the purity of its architecture, with hardly any decoration. Within this void, the color of some of the enormous stained glass windows that have been preserved stands out, or the frescoes painted on its monumental wooden vault, the largest in Europe, whose inaccessibility allowed its survival.
Details of the interior of the church
Discover the Oude Kerk and other monuments of the city on the Free Tour Amsterdam in English.
When the visitor enters the Oude Kerk, his dark floor surprises the visitor. It is an area of about 3,300 square meters, covered by more than 2,500 headstones that remind us of the origins of the building, built on an old cemetery and whose interior continued to serve as a churchyard for several centuries, where there are more than 10,000 buried citizens. That is why, walking through the naves of the Old Church, you can find tombs such as that of Saskia van Uylenburgh (tomb 29K), woman and model of the painter Rembrandt van Rijn, or the tomb of Frans Banning Cocq, protagonist of the work most popular of Rembrandt and Rijksmuseum: "The Night Watch".
Given the decorative austerity of the Oude Kerk, without a doubt the three monumental organs that stand out as metal altarpieces in the interior of the church stand out. Those organs date from 1658, 1724, and 1767. The second was built by German organist Christian Vater, but its sound was improved by Casper Müller who made some changes to its structure when it was rearmed after its dismantling in 1738 by making modifications to the Oude Kerk tower. Hence, this body is known as the "Vater-Müller organ", since both contributed to its being considered one of the best organs in Europe.
Currently you can go to the Old Church not only to visit it or during religious celebrations, it is also a place to go for the many concerts and exhibitions that house its vaults, such as the annual award ceremony of the photographic contest "World Press Photo ", the most important and prestigious contest of this type. After the awards ceremony, there is a traveling exhibition of the photographs awarded by 40 countries around the world.
Location of the Old Church
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Oude Kerk
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Oudekerkplein 23
- Abrir en Google Maps
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Detalles
- 10:00 a 18:00 h - Lunes a Sábado
- 13:00 a 17:30 h - Domingo
- General: 13,50 €
- Estudiantes y jóvenes de 13 a 17 años: 7 €
- Niños de 6 a 12 años: 3,50 €
- Menores de 5 años: gratis
- La Oude Kerk es accesible para sillas de ruedas
Horario
*Cerrada 27 Abril y 25 Diciembre
Precio
*La entrada solo se puede adquirir con tarjeta de crédito/débito, el pago en efectivo no está permitido
Accesibilidad
How to get to the Oude Kerk
- Parada: Plaza Dam
