I'm currently busy making a Dutch version of my website, as I am Dutch and just thought it was only good sense to make one in my native language. And you know, my fellow Dutchmen should enjoy Dutch architecture just as well. In our own language, that is.
So I don't have much time to do a proper blog post, so I thought I'd share some photos from last weekend instead. It was SO much fun! I learned SO much. On Saturday we stayed here in The Hague, on Sunday we did Amsterdam. Saturday was unfortunately very rainy (not a good thing if you decided you'd bike your way through the city) but Sunday was sunny and dry. And even though it rained (and we did take our beloved bicycles) we managed to visit 13 buildings! Damn. We saw less in Amsterdam though, as the canal houses were very small and could only allow ±25 people at a time = loooong queues. But totally worth it. (And now we know that we should go a little earlier next year ;))

And tomorrow it's finally here. THE 2 days I look forward to every other day of the year (well. these 2 days + christmas). Up until now I only featured buildings in big cities, but today I will feature some buildings that are scattered across our beautiful little rainy* country. 
*Yes, it was raining today, and I'm hoping it won't rain this weekend, but it doesn't look good...

This former transmitter station has to be one of the oddest buildings in the Netherlands. It is a huge cathedral like art deco building, that's meant to resemble an Egyptian sphinx.  It's so majestic and the fact that is was built in the middle of nowhere makes it even more impressive and.. a bit weird. Imagine being in the forest, and then BAM, this baby pops up! It's a shame it really is in the middle of nowhere though - as it's not reachable by public transport and this weekend not even by car. Entry is free though, and the guided tours are also free!

Adres Radioweg 1, Radio Kootwijk (Apeldoorn)
Opening Hours: Saturday 14 September 10.00 - 17.00 & Sunday 15 September 10.00 - 17.00
How to get there: Rent a bike at Buds Restaurant, Amersfoortseweg 202 in Uddel (or check http://www.veluwefiets.nl/ for other places nearby to rent a bike). From here it's a 22 minute bike ride to Radio Kootwijk.

Last year, the Dutch Heritage Days were lovely. The weather was SO good, I saw so many beautiful buildings I had never ever seen before, there were a lot of extra activities (I learned a LOT), plus, we got free coffee, tea, cake and beer that day. As a Dutchman I can always appreciate everything that is free. Let's hope this year will be just as gezellig as last year. 
Today, it's all about Haarlem!

Haarlem is a great city for a 'hofjes' tour. Hofjes are courtyards that used to provide housing for poor families, the elderly, and mostly single or widowed (poor) women. Hofjes in Haarlem were usually commissioned by wealthy families, maybe not so much out of generosity, maybe more because such a hofje would be named after them. There a plenty of hofjes left in Haarlem, but this hofje was built in 1395, and is therefore the oldest hofje in the Netherlands. 


Address: Wijde Appelaarsteeg 11k
Opening Hours: Saturday 14 September 10:00 - 17:00 and Sunday 15 September 12:00 - 17:00
How to get there: It's an 11 minute walk from Haarlem station.

Only 3 more days until Dutch Heritage Weekend, whoop whoop!

Today, let's talk about... Utrecht! A lot of the buildings here are within walking distance of Central Station, which is good, because Utrecht is a nice city to walk around in. There are lots of cafes and cool little shops, and if the weather's good this city's is very gezellig.

When they wanted to build a new main building for the Utrecht University around 1890, architects fought over what should be the style of architecture. I believe some architects wanted a neo-gothical building designed by Pierre Cuypers, others wanted neo-renaissance because they thought neo-gothicism would fit a church more, not a university building. In the end, neo-renaissance won, but as 'revenge' (I mean.. what are we talking about here people!?), the minister of home affairs built a neo-gothical gate right next to this building. The gate was designed by Pierre Cuypers' son. Man, I love a little drama between architects ;)

Address: Domplein 29
Opening Hours: Saturday 14 September 10.00 - 17.00 uur
How to get there: It's a 12 minute walk from Central Station

So this weekend is Open Monument weekend in the Netherlands (aka National Heritage Days) and man, am I excited ;D
This week I'll show you which monuments are in my opinion worthwhile to visit, and each post is dedicated to a different city. Today I present you: Amsterdam!

I am a huge fan of Dutch 19th century architect Pierre Cuypers. He is most famous for designing Amsterdam Central Station and the Rijksmuseum, but I mostly love his churches. It's probably because I love churches in general and am a general lover of brick buildings. His buildings are often bright and don't shy away from colour, as you can see here in the Dominicus church. 
This church is the only one in Amsterdam that has all the original furniture. Also, the flat roof is pretty uncommon for a church (I think?) and the construction of it is also pretty unique.

Address: Spuistraat 12
Opening Hours: Saturday 14 September 10.00 - 17.00 and Sunday 15 September 13:00 - 17:00
How to get there: It's a 6 minute walk from Central Station

I already mentioned this event in my previous posts, but NEXT WEEKEND IS OPEN MONUMENT WEEKEND :D As an avid architecture fan, I couldn't be more excited. A lot of monumental buildings that aren't usually open to public, are open this weekend only! The sad thing is, open monument weekend comes just once a year, and there are SO MANY buildings I'd like to visit. So much to see, so little time! So to make things easier, I made a couple of lists of places that are worthwhile to visit. Every day this week I will feature another city!

Here's the list (in no particular order) for The Hague:

If - like me - you like churches, I reccommend visiting this priory. It used to be a clandestine church (I wrote about those here), but served as a priory later on. The current building was erected during the interbellum. The building is still in use as a priory today, as nuns and monks live here peacefully.
I visited last year, and although there were a lot of people, it was such a calming and spiritual place. The place itself is a bit dark and moody, but nonetheless feels like a true sanctuary. The murals by the Hague artist Lou Asperslagh are beautiful.

OH, and last year, they served their own brewed beer. The priory wants to sell beer in the future, and last year they let visitors sample some of it. It was delicious. I'm still waiting for them to sell it on a large scale (hehe). So if you're in the neighbourhood, try to visit, even if it's just to see if they're serving that beer again this year :P

Address: Oude Molstraat 35
Opening hours: Saturday 14 September 2013 13:00 - 17:00
How to get there: From 'Den Haag Hollands Spoor' station: tram 1 to Scheveningen or 17 to Statenkwartier, get off at Kneuterdijk.
From Central Station, take tram 17 to Statenkwartier, get off at Kneuterdijk.
From Kneuterdijk it's a 5 min walk.

Once upon a time it was frowned upon to practice Catholicism in the Netherlands. The religion of preference was Protestantism, so all Catholic churches were banned because they apparently offended the Protestants. But you COULD practice Catholicism if you wanted to, as long as the Protestants wouldn't notice (yes, we have a long history of tolerating everything 'different' (need I say weed or prostitution) by turning a blind eye.).
Anyway, in the 17th century several clandestine churches popped up, hidden churches, that looked like regular buildings from the outside.
We don't have a lot of those clandestine churches left in the Netherlands, but here in the Hague you can find the H.H. Jacobus & Augustinus parish church, aka the Old Catholic Church.

It seems like an average front door but HA, don't let it fool you. You enter the building, walk through a corridor, and then BAM - suddenly you find yourself in this awesome and spacious church. I was so surprised when I walked in for the first time (and the second time for that matter, hehe), since you really don't expect such a large and beautiful church to be hidden away behind that average façade.

Unfortunately no one is 100% sure who designed the whole of this baroque church. The beautiful plastering indicates the hand of French-Dutch architect Daniel Marot (famous for his Louis XIV architectural style, plaster ceilings and ornamentation) who did live in the Hague, but it could be one of his students just as well. The (quite brilliant) lady who guided us was absolutely adamant that the architect was Marot, but according to the church' official website, evidence is found in archives that the rather unknown Nicolaas Kruysselbergen was the architect. Other (reliable) sources claim it's Marot. Who knows! Who cares? I think since it's such a pretty church, it's just a shame we can't attribute it to someone's legacy.

I really really love the stucco over here by the way. It's not as dramatic as some baroque interiors. It's clean and simple yet elegant and still a bit whimsical here and there. 
Research has indicated the Swiss-born Italian plasterer Joseph Bollina made the ceiling. His work can also be seen in the Fundatie van Renswoude orphanage in Delft.

By the way, I didn't even know there was a difference between the Old Catholic Church and the Catholic Church. The first Old Catholic Church was founded around 1700, so even though it's called 'Old' Catholicism, it's actually newer than Roman Catholicism. It's also far more progressive apparently,  as this religion is sort of between Catholicism and Protestantism. Women for instance can be ordained and the church has an open attitude towards homosexuality and same sex marriage.

But wait, there's more! Upstairs you can find a so called attic church, which is also one of the oldest clandestine churches in the Netherlands. The Chapel of Maria Mater Dei is very small, but is still in use every Wednesday.

And then there's the bishop's chamber, dated from 1720. It has all the original furniture and is very much intact. I like the stately green walls and all the paintings, it's like a little museum. 
This chamber is of historic significance, because it was here when they chose a new archbishop of Utrecht, against the will of the Pope. This event caused a rupture in the Dutch Catholic Church, and led to the foundation of the Old Catholic Church. 

The church is definitely worth a visit, and every Saturday free tours are given (information below). I highly reccommend this tour, as the guides are very knowlegdable and you learn a lot about the church and Old Catholicism in the Netherlands. 
Oh and they're also open during Open Monumentweekend, 14 & 15 September!

Address: Juffrouw Idastraat 13, The Hague
Opening hours: Every Saturday at 2:30pm there's a free tour starting at HIS Gallery, Molenstraat 44.
How to get there: Take tram 1 from Centrum to Scheveningen, get off at Kneuterdijk and then it's a 4 minute walk.
Website: (in Dutch) http://denhaag.okkn.nl