Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum Amstelkring
Contrasting sharply with its surroundings in the shabbiest corner of the Red
Light District, this lovely 17th-century house has a surprise in store. Concealed
in its upper floors is a hidden church, Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Dear
Lord in the Attic), a rare, perfectly preserved example of the many clandestine
churches that were built after the Alteration (see facing page) . Local Catholics
worshipped here from 1663 to 1887, when nearby St Nicolaaskerk was built.
Its little-changed interiors transport you back in time to the Dutch Golden Age.
Top 10 Features
1 The Building
2 The Front Parlour
3 The Sael
4 The Priest's Room
5 The Clandestine Church
6 The Folding Pulpit
7 The Maria Chapel and Peat
Room
8 The Confessional
9 The Rear Houses
0 The Kitchen
Amstelkring façade with
spout gable
For refreshment,
head away from the
Red Light District to
Nieuwmarkt, where
In de Waag is an
excellent café-
restaurant, or to
Engelbewaarder in
Kloveniersburgwal
(see p50) .
The Building
The spout-gabled
canal house was built in
1661 for Jan Hartman, a
Catholic merchant. He
combined its attic with
the attics of two smaller
houses behind to create
the hidden church, which
was extended in c.1735.
Take one of the free
plans and follow the
suggested tour of
the museum. If you
are confused at first,
don't worry - all the
rooms are clearly
marked and you
won't miss anything.
The Sael
Adhering to strict rules of
proportion and symmetry, the
family's formal reception
room (sael) is a superb ex-
ample of the Dutch Classical
style fashionable in the 17th
century (below) . It contrasts
with the simpler Upstairs
Room, which would not have
been used to receive guests.
• Oudezijds Voorburgwal
40
• Map P2
020 624 6604
• www.museum
amstelkring.nl
• Open 10am-5pm
Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun,
public hols. Closed 1
Jan, 30 Apr
• Admission: €7;
concessions: €5; under
19: €1
The Front Parlour
This (above) was the
merchant's shop, with
the wood-floored office
behind and a separate
entrance for customers.
The family and their
guests entered though
the porch into the dimly-
lit marble corridor.
20
For more on Amsterdam's churches See pp42-3
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search