Westerkerk and the Secret Annexe: The Crown of the Jordaan
Why is it significant?
Tilt your head back before the towering eighty-five-meter spire of the Westerkerk on the Prinsengracht. Look at the sparkling golden and blue Imperial Crown of Austria perched atop the weather vane, bestowed on Amsterdam in fourteen eighty-nine by Emperor Maximilian the First.
Key Facts
| Place | Westerkerk and the Secret Annexe: The Crown of the Jordaan |
|---|---|
| Address | Prinsengracht 281, 1016 GW Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Geo Coordinates | 52.37450, 4.88390 |
| Part of Walk | Amsterdam Golden Age & Masterpieces: Museumplein, Rijksmuseum, and Canal Ring |
| Generated | Generated |
Tilt your head back before the towering eighty-five-meter spire of the Westerkerk on the Prinsengracht. Look at the sparkling golden and blue Imperial Crown of Austria perched atop the weather vane, bestowed on Amsterdam in fourteen eighty-nine by Emperor Maximilian the First.
Inside this majestic Protestant church lies the final, unmarked resting place of Rembrandt van Rijn, who died in poverty in sixteen sixty-nine after declaring bankruptcy, buried in a rented pauper's grave beneath the stone floor slabs.
Just two doors down at Prinsengracht two hundred and sixty-three stands the Secret Annexe, where teenage Anne Frank hid with her family for seven hundred and sixty-one days during the Nazi occupation. In her diary, Anne wrote repeatedly of the comforting chimes of the Westerkerk clock tower, calling it her connection to the outside world.
Listen to the chimes of the carillon drift across the canal waters. You have experienced the golden spirit and profound resilience of Amsterdam.