Oude Kerk

Oude Kerk tickets: which one to buy

The Oude Kerk stands beside a canal in the centre of Delft, a few minutes from the Markt, and it is visited on the same ticket as the Nieuwe Kerk on the main square, which is the sensible way to see both. The ticket desk is at the entrance. The church is famous for its leaning tower and for being the burial place of the painter Johannes Vermeer, and it is much quieter than the Nieuwe Kerk.

Walking tours of Delft pass along the Oude Delft canal, the oldest in the town, and point out the tower reflected in the water, one of the most photographed views in Delft. The Prinsenhof museum, where William of Orange was assassinated in 1584 and the bullet holes can still be seen, stands opposite and makes a natural addition. The churches are closed to sightseeing on Sundays. Audio guides are included in the ticket and cover both churches in several languages.

Visiting Oude Kerk: what to see

The Oude Kerk was founded around 1246 and enlarged many times in the following centuries, and it is the oldest parish church in Delft. Its brick tower, built in the fourteenth century, leans about two metres out of true because the ground beneath it subsided, and local people nickname it the Scheve Jan, Leaning John; it has been stabilised and is not open for climbing. After the Reformation the interior was stripped of its images, and today it is a spacious, light Gothic hall with a wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling, a carved pulpit of 1548 and colourful stained glass windows made in the twentieth century.

The floor is paved with more than a thousand gravestones. Among those buried here are Vermeer, whose memorial stone is marked, and the scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, pioneer of the microscope. The church also contains the tomb of Admiral Maarten Tromp, carved with a sea battle. The organ case and the carved choir screen date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and several stained glass windows by Joep Nicolas show scenes from Dutch history. Memorial boards and hatchments of noble families hang on the pillars of the nave.

Oude Kerk opening hours and the best time to go

The Oude Kerk is open from Monday to Saturday, with shorter hours in winter. Mornings and late afternoons are quiet, and the light is lovely along the canal. Delft's markets on Thursday on the Markt and on Saturday along the canals bring more visitors to the centre. Summer is the busiest season, with canal boat tours and outdoor cafes.

King's Day in late April fills the streets with a flea market and parties. In winter, the canals may freeze in cold spells, and the town is atmospheric at Christmas. Allow about thirty minutes for the Oude Kerk, and combine it with the Prinsenhof and the Nieuwe Kerk on the same ticket. Canal boat tours leave from a landing near the church and take about forty-five minutes through the old town.