★★★★★ 5.0
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Westerkerk
85 meters above you looms Amsterdam's tallest church tower, but here's what'll blow your mind – they couldn't build it entirely from stone because Amsterdam's soggy soil would've made it sink! So in 1638, clever builders used brick at the bottom, sandstone in the middle, and topped it with wood covered in lead. You're standing outside the Westerkerk on Prinsengracht, where Rembrandt van Rijn lies buried somewhere beneath these Renaissance walls. Nobody knows exactly where – no headstone, no marker. The church was designed by father-son duo Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser between 1620 and 1631, and get this – it's shaped like two Greek crosses stuck together, making it the largest Protestant church ever built for Protestant worship in the Netherlands. See that glittering imperial crown on top? That's from 1638, granted to Amsterdam by Emperor Maximilian for helping him win some medieval wars. Inside, you'll find a massive 1681 organ decorated by Gerard de Lairesse – yeah, the famous painter – and those bells chiming above were crafted by the legendary Hemony brothers. Former Queen Beatrix even had her wedding here! This isn't just a church – it's Amsterdam's Protestant powerhouse, where history literally towers over the canals.
Did You Know?
- Westerkerk is the largest Protestant church in the Netherlands, built between 1620 and 1631 by city architect Hendrick de Keyser, and was one of the first major churches constructed specifically for the Protestant community during Amsterdam’s Golden Age—a bold statement of civic and religious identity during the Reformation.
- The church’s iconic 85-meter tower, Westertoren, is not only the tallest in Amsterdam but is topped with a replica of the Austrian Imperial crown, a symbol granted by Maximilian I in 1489, highlighting the city’s historic ties to the Habsburg dynasty; the tower’s blue cupola, restored in 2006, was once painted golden-yellow for a century to celebrate Rembrandt’s 400th birthday.
- Westerkerk is forever linked to Anne Frank, who hid nearby during World War II; from her attic window, she could see the church’s tower and often wrote in her diary about the comforting sound of its bells, which became a symbol of hope during her years in hiding—today, the church stands as a poignant memorial to her story and the broader history of wartime Amsterdam.