The gravestone floor
Ten thousand buried beneath, including Rembrandt's wife.
Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · No machine-readable author provided. Dave1980~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). — Public domain · Daniel Stoopendaal (1672-1726) — Public domain · Txllxt TxllxT — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Oude Kerk is Amsterdam's oldest building (c. 1306) and its oldest parish church — the city literally grew around it. A huge Gothic church with a floor entirely of gravestones (ten thousand buried beneath, among them Rembrandt's wife Saskia), and a medieval wooden ceiling counted among Europe's largest. The Amsterdam irony is that it stands today right in the heart of the Red Light District — the city's holiest building ringed by its most controversial quarter, a contrast found only in Amsterdam. The church is now also a contemporary art centre, hosting modern exhibitions and installations under its Gothic roof. For the visitor interested in history and architecture: an hour telling Amsterdam's birth. Climbing its tower (a separate tour) gives a superb view over the old city.
Ten thousand buried beneath, including Rembrandt's wife.
Among Europe's largest medieval wooden ceilings.
The holiest building amid the most controversial quarter.
Oudekerksplein 23, 1012 Amsterdam
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The Hash, Marihuana and Hemp MuseumA small museum in central Amsterdam presenting the history of the cannabis plant3 minutes walk4.2Entirely — the church is a respected historic landmark visited by day, and the area around it by day is an ordinary old quarter of cafés and pretty canal lanes. The district's night character is another matter. Visiting the church and walking around it by day is a sound historical experience for all visitors.