Summer in the Church
Activities, exhibitions and concerts from 5 May to 12 June 2005
De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam is one of the best known buildings in the Netherlands. An imposing monument with a splendid interior, it is located on a nationally renowned square. In the months of May and June in 2005, 2006 and 2007 De Nieuwe Kerk is going to give more attention to the building itself, the interior, its history and the link with the House of Orange. So the church will be open during these months for visitors from this country and abroad. There will be small exhibitions and various activities such as concerts on the famous organs. From 5 May to 12 June 2005 attention will focus on Queen Beatrix's silver jubilee. Starting on 5 May, there will also be a permanent presentation on different aspects of the rich history of De Nieuwe Kerk.
The silver jubilee
De Nieuwe Kerk is closely connected to the history of the House of Orange. All the kings and queens have been inaugurated in the church, and it has many windows that have to do with the Orange dynasty. In 2002 the marriage of the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima took place in De Nieuwe Kerk.
- A new window by Marc Mulders
On 29 April a new window will be unveiled by HM the Queen. Designed by the Tilburg artist Marc Mulders, it is the gift from the nation on the occasion of the Queen's silver jubilee. The public will be able to view the window from 5 May. There will also be a small display of the preliminary sketches for the window and a short documentary in which the artist is seen at work.
- 25 years in 25 photos
De Nieuwe Kerk is a medieval building. Traditionally, the banners of guilds and civic guards and the coats of arms of prominent citizens were hung in the ambulatory and side aisles of such churches. This tradition will be followed for the silver jubilee and 25 photos will be printed on large taffeta banners. These will then be hung on the tie rods in the ambulatory and the aisles. The photos provide a representative survey of the last 25 years during which the Queen has been head of state. The members of the selection committee for this presentation are Herman Tjeenk Willink (vice-president of the Council of State), Herman Pleij (professor of historical Dutch literature), Jan Bank (professor of Dutch history), Werry Crone (photographer), Ernst Veen (director of De Nieuwe Kerk), Alexandra Besuijen (photo editor, Parool newspaper) and Marloes Krijnen (director of FOAM, Photography Museum Amsterdam).
Organ concerts
De Nieuwe Kerk has a long tradition of organ concerts. The two organs have been played by world-famous performers like Gustav Leonard and Bernard Winsemius. In May and June, too, there will be regular concerts on Sunday evening. There will also be lunch concerts on Thursdays.
Permanent presentation on De Nieuwe Kerk
De Nieuwe Kerk has a rich history: as a distinctive feature of Amsterdam, for centuries it has played an important role in national events. The church also contains magnificent examples of, in particular, 17th-century decorative arts, and the architecture is of great interest. In recent years attention has concentrated on the very successful exhibitions in the church, but now it is time to look again at the building itself. From 5 May 2005 there will be a permanent presentation about De Nieuwe Kerk in the Orphans Gallery. It will deal with such aspects as the history of the church, relations with the city, the House of Orange and the state, the interior and the architecture. This small presentation will make use of text, photos, archive material, audio tapes, videos and interactive digital texts. It has been made possible by the Friends of De Nieuwe Kerk.
