Ever been to the Vrijthof square in Maastricht and noticed that red church tower sticking out like a sore thumb? That striking red tower is Sint Janskerk or Saint John’s Church. In the Middle Ages, Sint Janskerk was a parish church connected to Sint Servaas (English: Saint Servatius) next to…
Tag: church
Haarlem
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Frans Hals’ Grave(s)
Frans Hals was born in Antwerp, around 1582. He is the famous 17th-century Dutch portrait painter who worked, lived and spent the rest of his life here in Haarlem. Hals painted vast portraits of people smiling or laughing from all levels of society. He is known for his playful technique,…
Haarlem
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Grote Kerk or Sint Bavokerk of Haarlem
There something about this big church towering over Haarlem’s market square. I would always look up and admire that beautiful lead covering wooden tower soaring high towards the sky. This is the Great Church or Sint Bavo Church of Haarlem. “Grote Kerk or Sint Bavo Kerk” in Dutch. Not to…
Haarlem
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Haarlem Red Light District
UPDATED 02/05/2025 The unsuspected Haarlem Red Light District towards the end of this street at Begijnhof. It is a small cluster of operations around Waalse Kerk Haarlem or Walloon Church Haarlem. Yes, a real church! The undistinguished pink building with red lanterns hanging outside is Het Poortje, a brothel in…
Amsterdam
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Mozes en Aäronkerk
Every time I go shopping for bric-a-brac at Amsterdam’s oldest flea market on Waterlooplein / Waterloo Square, I would always look up and wonder about this imposing two identical 30-meter-high towers corner building called Mozes en Aäronkerk / Moses and Aaron Church. It is unmistakably one of the iconic buildings…
Amsterdam
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Kerk De Papegaai | The Parrot
Nestled between the shops on Kalverstraat, Amsterdam’s the busiest shopping street … A church with a neo-gothic facade is the HH. Petrus and Paulus Church, better known as “The Parrot” (Dutch: De Papegaai). A striking façade but most people walk right past it. According to the church website, there has…
Rotterdam
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Norwegian Church
Imagine my surprise when I came across such an unexpected and lovely building, right next to the entrance of the city park Het Park in Rotterdam. It is a church! A Norwegian Seamen’s Church to be exact. This is the Norsk Sjømannskirke. Its initial role was to receive, help and…