Page 97 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

NIEUWE ZIJDE  95

show allegories of maritime became Protestant, many such
trade, a tribute to the city’s past. hidden churches were built
Although currently undergoing in the city.
renovation to accommodate The lower floors of the
the new Noord-Zuidlijn metro building became a museum
route, the station still handles in 1888 and today contain
250,000 train travellers daily. elegantly refurbished and
decorated rooms, as well as
an impressive collection of
church silver, religious artifacts
and paintings.
Work was completed in
2015 which links the church
to the house opposite, now
functioning as an entrance
Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, which dates back building and providing much-
to the 17th century needed space for more
exhibitions, a shop and a café.
r Museum Ons’
Lieve Heer op t Beurs van
Solder Berlage
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40. Map 2 E4. Damrak 243. Map 2 D4. Tel (box office)
Tel 020-6246604. v 4, 9, 16. 020-5304141. v 4, 9, 16. Open only
Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, 1–5pm during exhibitions. Closed 1 Jan. &
Sun & public hols. Closed 1 Jan, ^ 7 = ∑ beursvanberlage.nl
27 Apr. & 8 =
The clean, functional appearance
Tucked away on the edge of of Hendrik Berlage’s 1903 stock
the Red Light District is a exchange marked a departure
restored 17th-century canal from late 19th-century revivalist
house, with two smaller houses architecture. Many of its design
Splendid Neo-Renaissance façade of to the rear. The combined features were adopted by
the Sint-Nicolaaskerk upper storeys conceal a secret the Amsterdam School. An
Catholic church, known as impressive frieze shows the
e Sint-Nicolaaskerk Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our evolution of man from Adam
Dear Lord in the Attic), built in to stock broker. The building
Prins Hendrikkade 73. Map 2 E4.
Tel 020-6248749. v 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 1663. Following the Alteration, now serves as a venue for
13, 16, 17. q Centraal Station. when Amsterdam officially exhibitions, concerts and shows.
Open noon–3pm Mon & Sat,
11am–4pm Tue–Fri. 5 12:30pm
Mon–Sat, 10:30am & 1pm (Spanish)
Sun. ∑ nicolaasparochie.nl
Sint Nicolaas was the patron
saint of seafarers, and so was an
important icon in Am sterdam.
Many Dutch churches are named
after him, and the Netherlands’
principal day for the giving of
presents, 5 December, is known
as Sinterklaasavond (see p39).
Completed in 1887, Sint-
Nicolaaskerk was designed
by AC Bleys (1842–1912). It
replaced some clandestine
Catholic churches set up in
the city when Amsterdam was
officially Protestant.
The exterior is forbidding, its
twin towers dominating the
skyline. The monumental
interior has squared pillars and
coffered ceiling arches. Decorative brickwork on the façade of the Beurs van Berlage

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