Netherlands

Our Lord in the Attic: Check Out Amsterdam’s Hidden Church

Our Lord in the Attic: Check Out Amsterdam’s Hidden Church

In the upper floors of a baroque canal house in Amsterdam’s red-light district, a mere stone’s throw from the Oude Kerk, stands Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic), a hidden Catholic church. Apart from a modern-day museum sign, there is nothing along the street to mark its presence – no rose windows, no steeples, not even a crucifix. Thousands – including Rembrandt – would’ve passed the house on their way to the

Thousands – including Rembrandt, no less – would’ve passed the house on their way to the Oude Kerk without knowing what lay behind its walls. The hidden church blends with the surrounding buildings, ensuring only the curious and those in the know discover its beautiful Baroque interior.

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A Tour of the World’s Only De Stijl House

A Tour of the World’s Only De Stijl House

For years the Rietveld Schröder House seemed like a myth to me. It was like that relative you’d constantly hear about at family gatherings – no one has met him, yet they’re certain that he still walks this earth. Similarly, the house, a highlight of the De Stijl movement, is still considered radical even today. It’s important enough for UNESCO to place it on the list of World Heritage sites. No-one among my circles had heard of it, let alone visited it, however. [Read on]