The Buurkerk is a former church building in

Utrecht (city) Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on the Buurkerkhof. The building is the location of the

Museum Speelklok Museum Speelklok (previously known as Museum van Speeldoos tot Pierement) is a museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, specializing in self-playing musical instruments. Since 1984, it has been housed in the centre of Utrecht in a former church called ...

, and the entrance is on the Steenweg. It is one of the medieval parish churches of Utrecht, along with the

Jacobikerk The Jacobikerk is a landmark Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Protestant church in Utrecht, Netherlands. The building is located on the St Jacobsstraat, named for its patron saint St. James the Greater. The church is one of the medieval paris ...

, the Nicolaïkerk and the Geertekerk.

History

The building is documented as being burned in 1131, 1173, 1253 and 1279. The tower dates from 1370, but was never finished.Museum website In 1577 a cannon was installed in the church tower, aimed at the

Vredenburg castle Vredenburg Castle (Dutch: ''(Kasteel) Vredenburg'' or ''Vredeborch'') was a 16th-century castle built by Habsburg emperor Charles V in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Some remains of the castle, which stood for only 50 years, are still v ...

where the

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

's Spanish soldiers there were under siege by the Utrecht schutters. Around 1580 the church endured the

protestant reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

and in 1586 it was formally handed over to the protestants, who whitewashed the wall decorations and removed the choir to make room for a street. The Choorstraat which is named after the deconstructed choir still has the outlines of the old choir in the pavement. In 1975 the church fell into religious disuse. The building functions as a museum since 1984.

Etymology

The name ''Buurkerk'' is made up of the words ''buur'' (neighbour) and ''kerk'' (church). In the 10th century, after the winding down of a tumultuous period of hostile Viking raids, trade in the Low Lands became more safe and thus more profitable. Cities such as Utrecht were able to thrive starting in the 10th century. The flourishing economic activity resulted in a wealthier and larger population. The newly built church building was located in what was then the city centre. The town hall, street markets, and the court house were all located in a dense area to the west of the ''Buurkerk''. Prominent citizens, politicians, and guild members would gather on the square to the west of the church for general business and matters of governance. The 'neighbour church' became a physical symbol for social, economic, and political development. Eventually a small ''raadskapel'' (council chapel) was built as part of the church's structure for more formal meetings.

Burials

The church is the burial place of various notable Utrechters such as the 17th-century painters

Joachim Wtewael Joachim Anthoniszoon Wtewael (; 1566 – 1 August 1638), also known as Uytewael (), was a Dutch Mannerist painter and draughtsman, as well as a highly successful flax merchant, and town councillor of Utrecht. Wtewael was one of the lead ...

Paulus Moreelse Paulus Moreelse (1571 – 6 March 1638) was a Dutch painter, mainly of portraits. Life Moreelse was born and lived most of his life in Utrecht. He was a pupil of the Delft portrait painter Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, who had himself been ...

Hendrick ter Brugghen Hendrick Jansz ter Brugghen (or Terbrugghen) (1588 – 1 November 1629) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter of genre scenes and religious subjects. He was one of the Dutch followers of Caravaggio – the so-called ''Utrecht Caravaggism, Utrecht C ...

Dirck van Baburen Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen ( – 21 February 1624) was a Dutch people, Dutch Painting, painter and one of the Utrecht School, Utrecht Caravaggisti. Biography Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to ...

, Jan Both and

Herman Saftleven Herman Saftleven the Younger (1609 - 5 January 1685 (buried)), was a Dutch painter of the Baroque period. Biography Born in Rotterdam, Saftleven lived most of his life (1632–1685) in Utrecht. His brothers, Cornelis Saftleven (1607–1681) an ...

. Their graves are no longer marked however. File:Memorietafel Smedegilde Buurkerk Utrecht.jpg, Plaque in memory of the Smith's guild near the entrance File:Buurkerk vanaf de Dom.JPG, View of the Buurkerk from the

Dom Tower of Utrecht The Dom Tower ( ) of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.32 metres (368,5 feet) in height. It is considered the symbol of Utrecht. The tower was part of St. Martin's Cathedral, also known as the Dom Church, and w ...

References

External links

Website Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement
(Dutch only)
Dutch TV film clip
of the "bread table", once used for weekly bread distribution for the poor {{coord, 52, 05, 26, N, 5, 07, 9, E, region:NL_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Churches in Utrecht (city) Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (city)