Westerkerk

The Westerkerk, the Western Church, is one of the best known landmarks in Amsterdam, and its tall tower is one of the first things you notice when you look over the roofs of the canal ring. The church is the largest Protestant church in the city, and it was built between 1620 and 1631 to a design by the architect Hendrick de Keyser, who died before it was finished. It stands on the Prinsengracht in the Jordaan district, close to the Anne Frank House, and it was built to serve the growing western part of the city during the Golden Age, when Amsterdam was expanding fast.

The tower, the Westertoren, was completed in 1638 and rises to eighty-five metres, making it the tallest church tower in Amsterdam. At the top it carries an imperial crown, the crown of the Habsburg emperor Maximilian, a reference to the city's coat of arms. The tower can be climbed in the tourist season, and the view from the top gives a wonderful panorama over the canals, rooftops and the surrounding streets, though the stair is steep and narrow. Its carillon plays at set times, and Anne Frank wrote in her diary about the sound of its bells while she was in hiding nearby.

Inside, the church shows the plain style of Dutch Protestantism. The wide, light interior has little decoration, in keeping with the Calvinist rejection of images, and the focus is on the pulpit and the large organ, whose shutters were painted by Gerard de Lairesse. A bronze memorial recalls Willy Alberti, a beloved Amsterdam singer, and many visitors come to see the church because of its association with Rembrandt. The painter died in 1669, in poverty, and he was buried in the Westerkerk, in a rented grave whose exact location is not known, and a marker inside commemorates him and his son Titus, who died the year before.

Visitors can usually enter the church for free on weekdays during the day, though donations are welcome and the times vary, and the tower has its own tickets and season. Free lunchtime concerts are held on some days. The church remains a place of worship, so visitors should keep quiet, especially during services and concerts.

The church is within easy reach of the Anne Frank House, the Begijnhof, the nine little streets, and the Canal Belt, and it makes a good starting point for a walk through the Jordaan. It suits history lovers, art fans and photographers. Allow thirty minutes for the church, longer for the tower.