Langewegkerk

The Langewegkerk is a reformed church and was built in 1939 after a design by E.J. Rock Houses. The building consists of a church hall, vestry (church council room) and a meeting room. From 1932 to 1939, a reformed church stood on the current site of the church, which had become too small. A memorial stone in the vestibule of the current church still reminds of this building. In Wieringermeerpolder, a Catholic, Reformed and Reformed church was built in every village (except Kreileroord). These were the three largest religious denominations in the pillarized Netherlands. The Catholic church on the Brink in Slootdorp was demolished in March 2010. The reformed church has been redesignated as a cultural center since 1998 and has been used for (care) homes since 2019. The Protestant Langeweg Church is the only church building in Slootdorp where worship services are held. The first stone was laid by Hendrikus Colijn (1869-1944). He was a director and vice-chairman of the Zuiderzee Council. Colijn is known as Prime Minister of the Netherlands of five cabinets. WWII A year after the completion of the church, in 1939, the Second World War broke out. During the occupation, German soldiers stood guard in the church tower. Drawings on the woodwork on the inside of the spire are reminders of this period. Leaders of the resistance in the Wieringermeer met regularly in the vestry. A monument and two plaques with the names of the resistance have been placed at the church. In 1943, the church briefly served as a shelter for downed pilot Peter F. Hall. Hall hid behind the organ pipes until he was taken prisoner. In 1945 the church was under water for some time because the German occupier had pierced the Wieringermeerdijk (inundation). More than 7000 inhabitants fled and the damage was immense. After the liberation, the polder dried up for the second time in December 1945. In 1946 and 1948 the church hall was restored and the meeting room rebuilt. In 1968, the church was expanded with the construction of a youth building, which is identical in architectural style to the meeting room. Valuation The Langewegkerk is designated as a municipal monument in 2022. The church building is of architectural-historical value as an example of 1930s architecture and as a typologically preserved hall church from the twentieth century. The complete description of the monumental values of the church building and the valuation can be found in the monument register on the website of the municipality of Hollands Kroon. Sources Register of Monuments via www.hollandskroon.nl Protestant Church in Slootdorp via www.pgslootdorp.wixsite.com Image bank Regional Archive Alkmaar via www.regionaalarchiefalkmaar.nl