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I visited Amsterdam earlier this year, staying with my son and his wife. At the time, they lived in the Nieuwe Pijp district, a vibrant area of the city.
Their apartment overlooked the Oranjekerk (Orange Church), originally a Dutch Reformed Church. Built around 1900, the building was restored between 1998 and 2000. It still holds church services, but also hosts concerts and exhibitions.
Described as a jewel of the neighbourhood, the façade of this beautiful building with its slender tower has a rather striking presence. The basic shape of the church, which is built entirely in brick, is a Greek cross with octagonal side arms. Particularly beautiful are the windows with the ornate arches, which are set with neat lead-encased windows made by company in Delft. In contrast to the majority of Dutch churches, which tend to have slate roofs, this one has glittering red and green roof tiles. And when the sun catches them, they really do glitter.
The interior is decorated in soft colours giving it a friendly atmosphere. There are no columns, so the pastor is clearly visible by the congregation. The church boasts three galleries, built into three of the cross arms. The fourth arm holds a lectern with space above for an organ, sadly not in place at the moment. Oddly, the pulpit is very low which means the preacher has
to speak upward across the seating which forms an amphitheatre.
Personally, I love looking around churches and, on this occasion, I had a treat in store. We set out for a day’s exploration and discovered our first adventure on our doorstep.
The tenth Open Tower Day in Amsterdam took place on Saturday 26 March. This annual festival is a bit like our own Heritage Open Days event. But in this case, it specifically focuses on the city’s towers. On the day, the 19 participating towers received a total of 13,000 visitors.
The Oranjekerk tower rises thirty meters up to a clock dial and the climb is not for the faint-hearted. The church spire towers another twenty meters above the clock but unfortunately, is beyond reach. Sadly, the views were a little limited due to louvres, and netting installed in an effort to keep pigeons out.
Still, a great start to the day.
Neil Thompson
Exterior and interior photographs of the Oranjekerk by Neil Thompson.