Nederland - Delft, Nieuwe Kerk

The city council of Delft decided to build the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). The city already had a church - nowadays known as the Oude Kerk (Old Church) - which is why it is called the Nieuwe Kerk.

In the year of 1381, a wooden temporary building - dedicated to Mary - was first erected and a few years later a stone late Gothic cross basilica was built around it, which was dedicated to St. Ursula.

As with so many churches, construction proceeds in stages. The tower was completed in 1496, consisting of a square base, above it two octagons and an apple-shaped spire. The Nieuwe Kerk was finally completed in 1655, having already endured a devastating city fire, the Delft Thunderclap (a gunpowder explosion) and various renovations.

In 1872, lightning struck the spire again. Some three years later, the famous Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers had a new one put on it. Wit a height of 108 meters it is the second highest church tower in the Netherlands.

The most prominent monument in the church is the tomb of Willem van Oranje, the Dutch ‘Father of the Fatherland’. The mausoleum was crafted by architect and sculptor Hendrick de Keyser and his son Pieter. Since the death of Willem van Oranje, the last resting place of members of the House of Oranje-Nassau has traditionally been the family vault in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004.

The church nowadays houses an exhibition and video presentations on the history of the Nieuwe Kerk and the Dutch royal family. The church can be visited for a fee.