Kerken en synagoge
Explore the historic churches and synagogue of Alkmaar and discover the rich religious heritage, the architecture and the history of these remarkable buildings.
Remonstrantse Kerk
The building with its simple exterior was built in 1658 on the site of a wooden grain barn. At the beginning of the 17th century, only the churches of the official Reformed State Church were allowed to stand on squares and to have towers and bells.
Construction period/year and style
1658
Highlights and interesting facts:
- Hidden church
- Monumental entrance between two gabled houses
- Elegant ironwork above the letters RK (Remonstrant Church)
- 17th-century pulpit
- Brass lecterns on the pulpit and the baptismal screen (1711 and 1698)
- Brass chandeliers, candle arms and sconces
- The organ (1792) by the Amsterdam organ builder Johan Strümphler
- Pinewood floor sprinkled with fine sand
- Interior restored in 2012
Fnidsen 35-39, centrum
St. Laurentiuskerk
The Roman Catholic St. Lawrence Church is one of the earliest works in North Holland by the famous architect Pierre Cuypers from Roermond. It is a church built on the floor plan of a Latin cross. One of its striking features are the flying buttresses on the outside of the building, which absorb the outward pressure of the heavy, high walls.
Construction period/year and style
1859–1861, Neo-Gothic
Highlights and interesting facts:
Richly decorated rose window of Limburg marlstone above the monumental entrance door
Colourful wall paintings of the Holy Blood Miracle of Alkmaar
Painted Stations of the Cross and stained glass windows
In the walls above the nave under the windows (the triforium): a series of openwork reliefs with symbols of the four Evangelists, the four Western Church Fathers, the twelve Apostles and St. Lawrence
Large triumphal cross from 1862
Old church benches, adapted in 2012 for modern seating comfort
The organ is in use
Verdronkenoord 68, centrum
Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk
When you stand inside and look up, you see a beautiful wooden barrel vault with a raised central section. There is also a fine pulpit, donated by congregation member Daniël Rademaker, whose coat of arms can be seen on it. The benches were made in the same style. The organ was probably built by Pieter Müller, son of the famous organ builder Christian Müller.
Construction period/year and style
1692
Highlights and interesting facts:
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Hidden church
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Pointed arch windows
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Rich interior
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Elaborately carved vestibule from 1695 (side entrance Oudegracht)
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Organ from 1754
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Swan on top of the organ: symbol of Luther and the Lutherans
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Keystone with construction year above the entrance
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The Historical Society of Alkmaar is present and provided the exhibition
Oudegracht 187, centrum
Heilige Geestkapel
The Waag was originally built as the Holy Spirit Hospital with a chapel. It served as a hospital for the poor, and pilgrims could spend the night there while travelling. The building was converted into a weigh house in the 16th century. Over the centuries the Waagplein grew: in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries several houses were demolished to enlarge the market square. The cheese traded on the square was supplied from the surrounding countryside.
Today, the largest buyers are no longer regional customers, but countries such as Germany, England, the USA and Japan. These countries also supply the largest group of tourists, to whom the Cheese Market owes its existence. From mid-April to mid-September, every Friday at 10:00 the bell still rings to signal the start of the market, and deals are sealed with the traditional handshake.
Construction period/year and style
Origin 14th century; Waag in 1582; façade rebuilt in 1884, Renaissance
Highlights and interesting facts:
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Cheese Museum with the exhibition “from cow to cheese”
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The Waag originally stood next to its current location
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Under the canopy you can see the original choir outline of the chapel, where the high altar once stood
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Ornamental façade with tile panel
Het huidige Waaggebouw, Waagplein 3, centrum
Doopsgezinde Kerk
This is one of the oldest Mennonite stone churches in the Netherlands. It was built in 1617 on the initiative of the famous preacher Hans de Ries. Like the other hidden churches in Alkmaar, it was given a wooden barrel vault.
In the 19th century, the building and its furnishings were significantly altered. In 1854, city archivist-to-be C.W. Bruinvis designed a new neoclassical façade with round-arched windows.
Construction period/year and style
Origin 1617, façade 1854, Neoclassicism
Highlights and interesting facts:
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Neoclassical organ front from 1819
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Behind it a Flaes organ from 1866
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Benches with neo-Gothic details
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Colour schemes in the church
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Originally hidden behind houses on Koningsweg (later demolished)
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Brick walls with wooden posts
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Original yellow brick wall on the west side partly still present
Koningsweg 12, centrum
Kapelkerk
At the time of the construction of the Chapel Church, the Laat was still water. The main entrance is therefore located in the short façade on Kapelsteeg. The building called Het Landwijf opposite also has its entrance there for the same reason.
In 1760, the building was struck by fire, destroying the medieval wooden barrel vault. It was replaced by the current stucco vault with raised sections.
A resident of a neighbouring house was so grateful her home was spared that she donated a pulpit to the church.
At the end of 2002 and early 2003, archaeological research was carried out here. About twenty graves were recovered. Some coffins were dated to around 1579, one after 1460 and another after 1461.
In 2004 the church underwent a major restoration. The organ was revised and its case repainted in the original marbled and grained colours.
Construction period/year and style
Circa 1500–1540; enlarged in 1707 on the Verdronkenoord side
Highlights and interesting facts:
Block of pews in Louis XIV style with curling acanthus leaves
Vault, wooden pulpit and organ case with rococo decorations
Stained glass windows by W. Bogtman (1924–1942)
Kapelsteeg 3, centrum
St. Josephkerk
The church was inaugurated on 1 January 1910. The design was by the Rotterdam architectural firm of the Margry and Snickers brothers, renowned church builders and pupils of P.J.H. Cuypers. One of them had earlier designed the St. Lawrence Church in Oudorp (1879). In 2006 the building was internally transformed and today it is being converted into apartments.
Construction period/year and style
1910, Neo-Gothic
Highlights and interesting facts:
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Bronze Christ the King statue from 1948 at the entrance
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Stained glass windows, best viewed from the inside
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Fourteen Stations of the Cross (1927) by Matthieu Wiegman, embroidered by a parishioner from the (demolished) Don Bosco Church
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Two stained glass windows from the Don Bosco Church stand behind the chairs
Nassaulaan 2, zuid
Synagoge
Since 2011 the synagogue has been owned by the Alkmaar Synagogue Foundation. From 1952 onwards it was used by the Baptist community.
On 10 May 1604, the Alkmaar council was the first in Holland to allow Jews to settle freely in the city. In 1744 they were granted freedom of worship. For a long time they met in house synagogues, until in 1802 the birthplace of Cornelis Drebbel (1572–1633), the famous Alkmaar cartographer and inventor, was purchased in Hofstraat.
The Second World War marked the end of its use as a synagogue.
Construction period/year and style
Façade 1844
Highlights and interesting facts:
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Façade stones
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Star-shaped stained glass window
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Hebrew inscriptions on the façade
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Modern extension
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Glass monument with the names of 173 people deported from Alkmaar on 5 March 1942
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Apartments built at the rear
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Only synagogue north of Amsterdam
Hofstraat 15, centrum
