Zuiderkerk Amsterdam: The 80-Metre Tower and Hunger Winter History

Zuiderkerk Amsterdam is a 17th-century Reformed Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam. Completed in 1614, it was the first Protestant church built to a design by Hendrick de Keyser, and its history reaches from Rembrandt's life to the Hunger Winter of 1944–1945.

What is Zuiderkerk Amsterdam?

Zuiderkerk was one of four Protestant churches built in Amsterdam during the 17th century. Their names came from the direction from which the wind came, placing Zuiderkerk within a group of churches named for their relationship to the city's compass points.

The church was completed in 1614 and was the first Protestant church built to a design by Hendrick de Keyser. Its tower measures 80 metres, a precise detail to look for as you explore the Nieuwmarkt area.

What happened at Zuiderkerk?

Zuiderkerk was used for church services until 1926. A cemetery was located around the church, making the site part of Amsterdam's burial history as well as its religious history.

During the Hunger Winter of 1944–1945, deceased people were kept at Zuiderkerk while awaiting a decent burial. That detail gives the church a direct connection to one of the most difficult periods in Amsterdam's modern history.

The church also played an important part in Rembrandt's life. When you explore Zuiderkerk, you are looking at a building connected both to Amsterdam's 17th-century Protestant architecture and to the life of one of the city's best-known artists.

What should you notice at Zuiderkerk?

Look up at the church's 80-metre tower. The supplied tour material states that the tower is open to visitors and offers a view of the city, without specifying current opening times or access conditions.

Zuiderkerk also has a connection to Claude Monet. The French Impressionist painted the church from a view associated with the Groenburgwal, so the waterway belongs to the place's artistic story as much as the church itself.

As you examine the church, keep its surrounding cemetery in mind: the cemetery was located around Zuiderkerk, not somewhere generically in the neighbourhood. The tower, the cemetery setting and the Groenburgwal view each point to a different layer of this one Amsterdam landmark.

How can you encounter Zuiderkerk on foot?

Zuiderkerk is stop 13 of 20 on Leplace's Amsterdam Walking Tour, giving you a place-specific way to encounter the church while exploring Amsterdam. It is also stop 9 of 26 on the Amsterdam Bicycle Tour.

Choose the route that fits your exploration style, and save Zuiderkerk for your Nieuwmarkt visit.