Description of the attraction
The Round Lutheran Church is located in the center of Amsterdam on the Singel promenade and its impressive copper-covered dome can be seen from afar.
The Round Lutheran Church in Amsterdam was built as an alternative to the Old Lutheran Church, which by the mid-17th century had become too small for the massively expanded Lutheran community in Amsterdam. It became the second Lutheran church in Amsterdam and is therefore often called the "New Lutheran Church". The building project was developed by the famous city architect, a prominent representative of the so-called Golden Age of Holland, Adrian Dortsman. In 1671, the Round Lutheran Church first opened its doors to its parishioners.
In 1822, as a result of a fire, the church building was badly damaged. Actually, only the walls of the structure have survived, while inside the building is almost completely burned out. But by 1826 the church was restored. The architects who worked on the restoration tried to recreate as much as possible the original classical building and its Baroque interior, however, the dome was slightly raised and enlarged. At the same time, the church acquired a new organ (restored in 1984).
Since 1935, when the Lutherans left the church, the building began to be used as a concert hall, and in 1975 the Round Lutheran Church was at the disposal of the Sonesta Hotel (today it is the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel) and an underground tunnel was dug to connect them. the hotel could immediately get into the conference hall and concert hall located in the church. Since then, the name "Dome of Sonesta" has been firmly entrenched in the building of the Round Lutheran Church.
In 1993, the church building was again badly damaged by fire, but by 1994 it was restored. Today it is still used by the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel for celebrations and various cultural events, but officially it is still owned by the Lutheran Church. You can get into it only with the permission of the hotel administration.
