Westerkerk
Westerkerk

Discover the biggest church and the city symbol of Amsterdam.

The Westerkerk (Dutch for Western Church), is a Protestant church, located in the center of Amsterdam. The church was built from 1619-1631 and holds a lot of history, among which the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt, who was buried here.

Attached to the church is the Westertoren (Western Tower), which is the pride and therefore the symbol of the city. The tower can be seen from many different spots in the center, and contributes to the picturesque image of Amsterdam. The bells of the tower sound every 15 minutes through the center, day and night. The sound of the bells is a familiar sound for the Amsterdamers, even Anne Frank wrote about the sound in her diary.

During World War II, the Nazis were stealing bells from churches, including the bells of the Westerkerk. The bells were melted down, and the metal was used to make weapons and tanks. Anne Frank mentioned this in her diary as well: she wrote that everybody was confused, because they had no idea about the time since the bells were taken down. Luckily city officials found a way to get the bells back: they convinced the Nazis that the bells had been chiming during the funeral of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, someone who the Nazis admired. Even though it was a lie, the Nazis returned the bells and got them rehung in the right place.