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(Links on pictures will take you to the Galery. So go ahead and click on them all!)
Prins Hendrikkade and the St Nicholas Church.
The facade of the church faces the Prins Hendrikkade, but the
building is deep enough for the back elevation to form the water front
of the small canal behind the church. The church dominates the
surrounding neighbourhood.
In 1578 when the Protestants assumed power - the so-called ‘Alteratie’ - the Roman Catholics were officially forbidden from holding religious services in public. As a result they lost control over their churches. The first church of St. Nicholas, the oldest church in town, was taken over by the Protestants and renamed Oude Kerk (Old Church). The Catholics were forced into hiding and consequently they began to equip ordinary houses with the attributes needed to hold masses.
After more than 200 years the Roman Catholics were allowed to build
churches again. The construction of the church of St. Nicholas on the
Prins Hendrikkade is a supreme example of the new-found self-confidence.
The church was consecrated on February 7, 1887. (Lots more info
here.)
The closeness of houses in Amsterdam.
I have taken this picture from the vangtage point of the Westerkerk (West Church),
highest point in the city. The church is on the Prinsengracht, close to the Anne
Frank house. The history of how the church was built, is extremely interesting.
For instance, the bell had to be hoisted up inside, and built into the tower. Also, the
swampy Amsterdam soil was not able to support such a heavy tower, and lots of plans had
to be made to see this dream realised. If you are interested, read more about the
church on this page.
Narrow canal with the houses on both banks.
Water and bridges are the two things of vital importance to Amsterdam. The grachten
allowed tradesmen to bring their wares to the city, and also helped to keep enemies out.
Back to Holland - page 1
Back to Holland - page 2
To Holland - page 4
To Holland - page 5
Thank you to 
for this space.
(URL: http://boozers.fortunecity.com/bridge/251/)
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The HTML Writers Guild.
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KIBANA-SHAKUNAGE (Rhododendron aureum): One of the Alpine Rhododendrons.
Its pale-yellow color is expressed in both the Japanese and the Latin name
(image).
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