Buurkerk
Buurkerk stands in central Utrecht, Netherlands, as a former medieval parish church beside the city’s historic civic life. Its architecture spans the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, while the unfinished tower dates from 1370. Nearby markets, the town hall, and courthouse once made its western square a gathering place for citizens and guilds.
Fires in 1131, 1173, 1253, and 1279 repeatedly marked the building’s history. In 1577, a cannon in the tower faced Vredenburg Castle during its siege by Utrecht’s militia. Protestant changes around 1580 whitewashed wall decorations and removed the choir for Choorstraat. The pavement still marks that lost choir, giving the street a visible trace of the church’s earlier shape.
Since 1984, Museum Speelklok has filled the former church with self-playing musical instruments. The floor also holds unmarked graves of Utrecht painters, including Joachim Wtewael and Paulus Moreelse. Pieter Saenredam painted the interior in 1644, emphasizing its columns, white walls, and spacious Protestant design.
- City
- Utrecht
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myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.