Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam

De Nieuwe Kerk or the New Church is Amsterdam’s main church located on Dam Square next to the Royal Palace. It is open to the public as a church, exhibition space and also holds organ concerts and private events. Book Nieuwe Kerk tickets here

The church originally dates from the 14th century when the growing city of Amsterdam needed a second church from the Oude Kerk (Old Church).

The Nieuwe Kerk was subsequently damaged by fire a number of times – in 1645 it was rebuilt in Gothic style after almost being destroyed – and this is what can be seen today along with some renovations from the 19th and 20th century.

The Nieuwe Kerk is used for royal weddings and inaugurations. On April 30th 2013 it was the site of the investiture of Dutch King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima, who were also married in the church in 2002.

Highlights inside the church include:

• the magnificent Great Organ from 1655
• the grand brass choir screen
• stained glass windows dating as far back as the mid-17th century
• the hundreds of grave slabs on the floor (some 10,000 corpses are buried below the church)
• the tomb/crypt of distinguished Dutch admiral Michiel De Ruyter (1607-1676) who amongst many notable achievements managed to free 26 Hungarian slaves.

The annual timetable of the Nieuwe Kerk looks generally like this:

World Press Photo – World Premiere at Nieuwe Kerk

The annual exhibition contest of international photojournalism. The World Press Photo foundation (founded in 1955) is based in Amsterdam and has held the exhibition at the Nieuwe Kerk from 1982-1999 and 2014-present. It normally runs from mid-April to mid-September.

World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 runs 24 Apr to 27 Sep 2026.

Remembrance Day Service

The Netherlands observes Remembrance Day each May 4th to commemorate the victims of World War 2. There is a televised service held at Nieuwe Kerk followed by a ceremony on Dam Square with a nationwide two minute silence at 8pm.

Major Nieuwe Kerk exhibition

Autumn sees the Nieuwe Kerk put on a major themed exhibition usually about a culture or a noted individual. This normally runs October to early April.

Past exhibits have included Ming. Emperors, Artists and Merchants in Ancient China (2013-14), Magical Africa (2014-15), Rome. Emperor Constantine’s Dream (2015-16), Marilyn: 90 Years Miss Monroe (2016-17), We Have a Dream: Gandhi, Luther-King, Mandela (2017-18), The Life of Buddha, the Path to the Present (2018-19), The Great Suriname Exhibition (2019-20), Maison Amsterdam (2021-22), The Century of Juliana, a Queen and her Ideals (2022-23), The Great Indonesia Exhibition (2023-24), Mokum, the biography of Jewish Amsterdam (2025-26).

In 2026-27 the exhibition is Queer Amsterdam, the Pink City major LGBT-themed exhibition. Runs 9 Jul 2026 to 4 Apr 2027.

Evening organ concerts are held monthly (or twice monthly) on Tuesday evenings.

In terms of facilities, there is a small museum shop in the church selling books, cards and gifts.

There is the popular ‘t Nieuwe Cafe next door with a large outer terrace on Dam Square.

The Nieuwe Kerk is a beautiful historic building located in the very heart of Amsterdam and worth visiting in its own right. It hosts various exhibitions during the year which may be of further interest to the visitor.

Nieuwe Kerk Essential Info

This article was first published in 2010. Last checked and updated 23 June 2026.

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