Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk is a Protestant church and only remnant of the medieval city of Rotterdam. The church was built between 1449 and 1525. In 1621 a wooden spire was added to the tower, designed by Hendrick de Keyser. Poor quality of its wood caused the spire to be demolished in 1645. A stone cube was added to the tower, which proved too heavy for the foundation in 1650. New piles were driven under the tower and in 1655 the tower stood straight again.

This church was the first all stone building in Rotterdam. Many important events took place here. The last priest of the Laurenkerk was Hubertus Duifhuis. The Reformation took place in 1572 and the Laurenskerk became a Protestant church. Ministers of the church include Laurens Johannes Jacobus van Oosterzee, Abraham Hellenbroek, Jan Scharp and J.R. Callenbach, who wrote a book about the history of the church a few years before the Rotterdam Blitz. The church is still used for worship of the Protestant Church.

In the Rotterdam Blitz on May 14, 1940 the Laurenskerk was heavily damaged. At first there were calls to demolish the church, but that was stopped by the Germans. The provisional National Monuments Commission had both supporters and opponents of restoration. In particular, committee member and architect J.J.P. Oud opposed rebuilding in 1950 and presented an alternative plan which would preserve only the tower. Next to the memorial a new, smaller church would be built. This alternative plan was rejected, particularly because restoration of the Laurenskerk was viewed as a symbol of the resilience of Rotterdam's community. In 1952, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands laid the foundation stone for the restoration, which was completed in 1968.

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Founded: 1449-1525
Category: Religious sites in Netherlands

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ali Sakin (45 days ago)
I was in this church once for the Dutch Liberation Day. Oh my God, I experienced an unforgettable atmosphere. I thought I was in the Bloodbourne game. The interesting part was that the name of the character in the game was Laurance. The hymns or songs sung in chorus were almost the same as the music of the play. Thank you, Rotterdam, for that beautiful day.
kevin mills (55 days ago)
A wonderful survivor of ww2 . Although it lost its stained glass and a number of tombs amongst other things. It has been rebuilt and brought up to date with a healthy nod of thanks to the past. It is I believe possible to climb the tower although I didn't see the cost for this. There is a small charge for entry, but this fascinating church make the cost well worth paying.
Carissa Funk (3 months ago)
Beautiful and unique church! Loved seeing "the Red Giant" and beautiful wooden ceilings. The woman working at the desk was very engaging, pleasant, and knowledgeable about the church as well as the city's history.
MARIA GRAZIA PIGNATARO (8 months ago)
The most important church in Rotterdam. It survived the fire of the 2nd world war in some parts, the others underwent restoration. It’s interesting that you can see that few walls are pending visibly. We visited it during an organ concert, that made the visit delightful. At the beginning of the visit we were given a brochure with the information. We did not go on the church tower.
Irina Prisacariu (8 months ago)
Pro: the view is amazing, you only have to climb 300 steps (aproximativ 10 min) to get on top, the guide that is waiting for you on the top of the church is amazing (Willem is the best ever), the tickets are cheap (3€ to visit the church and 7,5€ to visit the church + climb on top of it) Cons: the lady at the ticket booth is not friendly because me and my friends bought 4 tickets. After paying the tickets, we asked for bathroom, she said that she will get our tickets when we go back. 5 minutes later, at the tickets booth were 20 people standing in line to get tickets, we asked for our own and she told us to wait until she gets the tickets to the other people. I am finding that not ok because we should’ve got the tickets before going to bathroom, in the first place, and second, we should’ve got our tickets when we came back, not to wait after all those people when we already waited in line once. Also, if you are claustrophobic, you should avoid the view on the church because the way to the top is pretty tight.
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