Zuiderkerk, Amsterdam

Zuiderkerk is a former Protestant church, and it carries an unusual distinction: it was Amsterdam’s first church designed specifically for Protestant worship. Hendrick de Keyser created it in the Amsterdam Renaissance style, and construction ran from 1603 to 1611. The tower followed later, reaching completion in 1614, with a carillon installed in 1656.

Its bells still sound monthly. The building has a dramatic history beyond worship. Rembrandt’s children were buried here, and his son Titus was baptised here on 22 September 1641.

Ferdinand Bol, one of Rembrandt’s celebrated pupils, was also buried here. De Keyser himself lies within the church, where he was buried in 1621. During the Hunger Winter of 1944–1945, the church temporarily held the dead while burials could not keep pace.

It closed in 1970 because the structure was close to collapse, then underwent restoration from 1976 to 1979. Today it functions as a municipal information centre with exhibitions about housing and the environment. Look toward the richly worked tower: Claude Monet painted it during his visit to Amsterdam, probably in 1874. His painting places the spire at the heart of the composition, with the Groenburgwal canal leading toward it.