★★★★★ 5.0
Discover
Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic Museum)
Seventy children were baptized here in just one year back in 1667, and you're about to discover why that's absolutely mind-blowing. You're standing outside what looks like any other 17th-century canal house on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, but Jan Hartman, the wealthy Catholic merchant who lived here, was hiding something extraordinary behind that unassuming brick facade. See, when Catholics were banned from public worship in 1578, Hartman did something genius in 1663 - he built a complete three-story church in his attic! We're talking baroque altar, organ, confessionals, the works, all crammed into what should've been storage space. And here's the kicker - it's one of only a handful of these secret churches left in all of the Netherlands. As you step through that front door, you'll walk through regular merchant rooms with those classic Dutch built-in beds, then climb upstairs and BAM - you're suddenly in this ornate sanctuary that can hold 150 people. The altar even has interchangeable paintings that priests would swap out for Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun. Talk about Amsterdam's worst-kept secret that somehow survived almost 400 years and became the city's second-oldest museum in 1888!
Did You Know?
- The attic church was secretly built between 1661 and 1663 by a wealthy Catholic merchant, Jan Hartman, during a time when public Catholic worship was banned in Amsterdam; this hidden sanctuary, known as a 'schuilkerk,' allowed Catholics to practice their faith discreetly behind the unassuming façade of a typical canal house, showcasing Amsterdam’s early commitment to religious tolerance—a remarkable exception in 17th-century Europe.
- The church is ingeniously concealed across the top three floors of the canal house, with its ornate interior—including an impressive organ (added in 1794), confessional booths, and a large oil painting, 'The Baptism of Christ' by Jacob de Wit—remaining completely hidden from street view; visitors must navigate narrow corridors and steep staircases to discover this architectural marvel, making the experience both surprising and immersive.
- In 2024, the museum was awarded the European Heritage Label, recognizing its symbolic value and role in European history, and it remains one of the few places where you can still attend a Catholic Mass in the attic church—occasionally hosting weddings and religious services, continuing its centuries-old legacy as a living place of worship.