BUURKERK - CHURCH
A remarkable parish church, the first with a tower rich in history in Utrecht.
Located at the end of a dark alley, nicknamed the "3rd Buurkerkhof", this tower has a history. The part of the city where it is located was once popular and inhabited by craftsmen and merchants. In the 11th century, these ordinary citizens already had their own parish church, the Buurkerk, whose name means "church(kerk) of the neighbors(buur)". This first Buurkerk was discovered as a result of excavations on the site. It was of modest size, much smaller than the present one. The square on which the tower stood was the first market in Utrecht. The church was remodeled several times and grew so large that it was decided to move the market to another square. Indeed, its commercial activity was so strong that part of the transactions took place in the church itself, which was not very Catholic, nor Protestant for that matter! So much so that the authorities had to post signs forbidding the introduction of water, packages, bags, baskets, barrels, sheep, pigs or any other animal into the church! As we can see, the church played a central role in the lively life of the time. Finally, during the Eighty Years' War, during the fight for Dutch independence, cannonballs fired by both sides hit the church; two of them remained embedded in the tower and can still be seen at a height of 20 to 25 meters.
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