Doopsgezinde Singelkerk: Church in Grachtengordel, Amsterdam

The Doopsgezinde Singelkerk is a Mennonite hidden church between the Singel and the Herengracht in central Amsterdam, invisible as a church from the street. Go for a Sunday service, one of the Singelkerkconcerten, or a guided tour of a building that has been in use for Mennonite worship since the 17th century. Its story starts in 1607, when Harmen Hendriksz. van Warendorp bought an empty plot here and put up a barn as a meeting place for Flemish Mennonites. The spot took the name Bij het Lam after a nearby brewery with a lamb in its gable. A larger church of the present size followed in 1639, and in 1839 it was given its current roof. Inside, folding chairs recall the days when women paid a stuiver for a seat, the wealthier members rented pews and the orphans of De Oranjeappel sat on the second gallery. The acoustics draw musicians, and the church is often hired for concerts and rehearsals. Organist Jeroen Koopman programmes the concert series, which ranges from choir and strings to film music and Spinvis. The organ has an original front by Johannes Strumphler from 1777, with a new instrument built behind it in 1983 by Kaat & Tijhuis. In the church hangs a wooden plaque for four members of the congregation who died during the occupation, among them two pastors active in the resistance. The church seats about 350. Sunday services start at 10:30, and an English-language service follows at 12:15 on second Sundays. The church office is open from Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 17:00. In July and August the Singelkerk itself is open from Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 13:00, and on Sundays for services.