Oude Kerk Amsterdam: The Historic Church in the Middle of De Wallen

The Oude Kerk Amsterdam is a Reformed church, the city's oldest parish church and the oldest structure in Amsterdam. It stands in De Wallen, on the square called Oudekerksplein, and the building is described in the tour material as over 700 years old.

Founded around 1213, the church was consecrated in 1306 as a Roman Catholic church by the bishop of Utrecht, with Saint Nicolas as its patron saint. Its history began with a wooden church in the 13th century before the stone building followed. Today, the Oude Kerk remains a Reformed church in the centre of Amsterdam's De Wallen.

Why is the Oude Kerk in the middle of De Wallen?

The Oude Kerk and the surrounding prostitution district have existed side by side for hundreds of years. The Amsterdam Walking Tour account says the powerful elite regents of the city wanted to protect Amsterdam's “honorable women” from sexual assaults, and considered the church's location practical for that purpose.

The Red Light District Amsterdam Tour frames the setting through the sailors who arrived after spending many months at sea. Its account says that the first thing these sailors did was not pay Grandma a visit, and that they came into conflict with God. The church's position in De Wallen is therefore part of a long-standing local story about sailors, prostitution and religious life sharing the same Amsterdam district.

What changed about the Oude Kerk after the Reformation?

After the Reformation in 1578, the Oude Kerk became a Reformed, or Calvinist, church. It remains Reformed today.

The church was originally dedicated to Saint Nicholas, whom the tour material describes as the patron saint of sailors and prostitutes. That dedication connects the building's earlier Catholic history with the people and activities long associated with its location in De Wallen.

What should you look for at the Oude Kerk Amsterdam?

Look up at the church tower: the tour material gives its height as 70 metres. The tower is one of the clearest physical details to check when you encounter the building on Oudekerksplein.

Then look closely at the building's materials. As described in the Amsterdam Bicycle Tour, the Oude Kerk contains bricks and stones in many colours from different centuries because additions were made to the building over time.

The Oude Kerk also houses contemporary art exhibitions, which have been held there since 2012. That combination of a centuries-old church building and contemporary art is part of what you encounter at this specific place in De Wallen.

How can you encounter the Oude Kerk on foot?

Open the Amsterdam Red Light District Tour, the Amsterdam Walking Tour or the Amsterdam Bicycle Tour to explore the Oude Kerk through the stories recorded in these Amsterdam tour materials.

Save this page for your walk, then choose one of those routes and look for the 70-metre tower, the varied bricks and stones, and the church's unmistakable setting on Oudekerksplein.