Westerkerk

The Westerkerk was built between 1620 and 1631 by Hendrick de Keyser and finished after his death, and it was the largest Protestant church built anywhere at that point - a Dutch Renaissance building designed for preaching, with a broad interior, plain walls and clear glass, no images and the pulpit at the centre of the arrangement rather than an altar. Its tower, the Westertoren, is eighty-five metres, the tallest in the city, topped with a copy of the imperial crown of Maximilian I, which Amsterdam was granted the right to use in 1489 and put on everything. Rembrandt was buried here in 1669 in a rented grave, the location of which is not known - a wall marker records him without claiming a spot. The Anne Frank House is a few doors along Prinsengracht, and the diary mentions the Westertoren bells repeatedly.

What you actually see

• An eighty-five-metre tower - the tallest in Amsterdam, with the imperial crown on top.
• A preaching interior - broad, plain and clear-glazed, built for Protestant worship.
• Rembrandt's burial - in an unmarked rented grave, recorded on a wall.
• The bells of the diary - heard from the annexe a few doors along the canal.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The tower is climbed only on a guided tour with limited numbers and a steep narrow stair - book ahead. The church closes for services and concerts. Rembrandt's actual grave location is unknown.

Nearby

The Anne Frank House is a few doors along; the Jordaan is behind.