Nieuwe Kerk (Delft)
The Nieuwe Kerk ( New Church ) stands on the market square of Delft ( Holland ) opposite the town hall. She is one of the largest churches in the Netherlands, the west tower is 109 meters high, the second highest in the country. The Nieuwe Kerk is also the grave church of the Dutch royal family; 45 members of the dynasty are buried here.
Architectural History
The church was in 1351 under the reign of Albrecht I of Bavaria, Duke of Straubing -Holland, founded and dedicated to St. Mary and Ursula. She was the second parish church of the city after the Oude Kerk ( Old Church ) today called and therefore was named Nieuwe Kerk. During the Reformation, the Nieuwe Kerk in 1572 became part of the Dutch Reformed Church.
The first church was a wooden temporary structure around which was built a large late Gothic basilica from 1396. After completion of the transept, the wooden church was demolished. With the completion of the west tower on September 6, 1496, the church was completed after exactly 100 years of construction.
On 3 May 1536 a lightning strike caused the West Tower a great fire, in which not only the church badly damaged, but also parts of the city were destroyed. The spire was rebuilt in 1872 also destroyed by a lightning strike. Then today, very high spire, by the west tower reaches a height of almost 109 meters was built. In the Netherlands, only the Dom Tower in Utrecht has an even higher tower. The 36 bells in the west tower date from the year 1660.
The interior of the church is, as usual in Calvinist churches, kept very simple. Most of the equipment was destroyed in a storm in 1566 images, the stained-glass window in a fire in 1536, their successors in the explosion of the Delft powder tower on 12th October 1654th Today's third generation of the stained glass windows dating from the years 1927-36.
The organ was built in 1839 in Utrecht and was built by the organ builder Jonathan Bätz. The instrument has 48 registers on three manuals and pedal.
Grave church of the House of Orange -Nassau
The New Church was a historic chance to grave lay the House of Orange. Prince William of Orange, the leader of the Dutch resistance against the Spaniards, it dropped quickly in Delft, but was murdered on July 10, 1584 in the local Prince's Court. The traditional grave lay the House of Orange in Breda was still in Spanish hands, which is why they buried the prince in Delft. Since William was the founder of the Dutch nation and the kings until today derive from him, Delft was retained as the burial place of the royal family. The mausoleum of William is in the choir of the new church, the other Orangemen are located in the crypt under the choir. The recent funerals took place in 2002 ( Prince Claus ) and 2004 ( Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard ).