Westerkerk
Hendrick de Keyser's Renaissance church on the Prinsengracht, with the city's tallest church tower.
The Westerkerk was designed by the city stonemason Hendrick de Keyser and built for Amsterdam's council between 1620 and 1631. It was the largest church in the Netherlands built from the outset for Protestant worship, laid out on a plan of two intersecting Greek crosses in a Dutch Renaissance manner. The pulpit stands at the crossing point of the two axes, a position that reflects the central place given to preaching and to reading from the Bible.
Rembrandt spent his last years on the nearby Rozengracht and was buried in the church on 8 October 1669; the exact spot is unknown, and a memorial plaque hangs on the north wall. The tower, the Westertoren, is about 85 metres high and carries the imperial crown of Maximilian I; it is owned by the city rather than the congregation. Inside are the Duyschot organ of 1686 with shutters painted by Gerard de Lairesse, and a smaller choir organ.
Highlights
- The Westertoren, about 85 metres tall, crowned with an imperial crown
- Memorial plaque to Rembrandt, buried here in 1669
- Duyschot organ of 1686 with shutters by Gerard de Lairesse
- Free weekly organ lunch concerts on Wednesdays
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