De Duif

Amsterdam: De Duif

De Duif is a church on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. At present – after the recent restoration by Stadsherstel Amsterdam – it is rented out for all kinds of events.

History

The building was built in 1858 as the Roman Catholic St. Willibrorduskerk using the plans of the architect Theo Molkenboer. This was the former location of the sugar factory called "Het Fortuyn". After this burnt down, the spot was used for the new church. Replacing the century old (secret) church "Het Vrededuifje" which stood on the "Kerkstraat" (on the place where nowadays the post office is standing.

The Church is built in the neo classicist style and has a Neo-baroque front. From the opposite site of the canal one has a good view off this building. The building is a rijksmonument. Inside there stand a large Smits-orgel, which has a monumental status both local as national. This "orgel" (The biggest above the big Dutch rivers) was taken in to service on 25 September 2006, after a restoration. The church is since 1974 the home of the "Oecumenische Basisgemeente De Duif", that has her Sunday meetings here.

Events

The building is high and wide and can house events with hundreds of visitors. The acoustics make it suitable for concerts of choirs, orchestras, singers, etc. In fact it is used for things like dance performances, product presentations, television production, theater, shows and business meeting events. In Amsterdam "De Duif" is popular as location for marriage and funerals. It hosts yearly events like the Tangomagia and the Tribal Art Fair. In the summer of 2006 it was one of the locations of the Holland Festival. The building is managed by Stadsherstel.

External links / sources

• Overview article in Dutch with a lot of history
• Site of the Oec.Basisgemeente De Duif
• article in Dutch on the Smitsorgel and its restoration
• The story of the restoration
• Information by the management of the building Stadsherstel

Coordinates: 52°21′41″N 4°53′48″E / 52.3613°N 4.8968°E / 52.3613; 4.8968