Fire in the Muiderkerk

On the morning of 31 October 1989, the clock in the Muider Church tower remains stopped at nineteen past eleven. The cause is a devastating fire in the church, which has now also reached the tower. In an attempt to save the church, as many as 32 fire hoses are deployed. After two hours, firefighters can finally give the signal 'fire master'. Unfortunately, the church building is so badly damaged that only the tower can eventually be saved.

One of the objects that miraculously survives the fire is the Bible on the pulpit. Its black pages can be seen as a symbol of the disaster that struck the church. Indeed, they prove to be not only a symbol of the end, but also mark a new beginning.

A changing church landscape

The loss of the original Muiderkerk is not an isolated event. Fires, newly built houses of worship, demolition: Amsterdam's church landscape has always been subject to change over the centuries. The late nineteenth century is one such period with many changes. The 'Dolerenden' (later called Reformed) secede from the Nederlandsche Hervormde Kerk and build no fewer than six new church buildings in Amsterdam in six years. In response, the Reformed also start building again. A real rivalry ensues. In 1892, for instance, the Nederlands Hervormde Muiderkerk rose up - much to the anger of the Reformed - just a few hundred metres from the then newly built Reformed Funenkerk.

A new church building

The Muiderkerk and Funenkerk have long been competitors. It is therefore remarkable that in the 1970s these two community's were the first to seek each other out in Amsterdam. This is how the reformed-Dutch Reformed 'Muider-Funen Church' came into being. In 1975, the Funenkerk was demolished. With the fire in the Muiderkerk, the community lost both striking buildings in the late 1980s. Although unwanted and tragic, the fire allowed the community to design a new, contemporary church building. A building that is no longer Reformed or Dutch Reformed, but a reflection of what this community stands for: connection and resilience.