Witte kerkje

The Wieringerwaard was reclaimed in 1610. This White Church has stood since 1865 on the site of the old, very modest church with a wooden structure from 1636, with a cemetery and small school built by order of the Polder Board. Beautiful tombstones have been preserved from the church, the oldest dating from 1639. The large clock is from 1693. In the second half of the 19th century, the church was so dilapidated that it was partially demolished. The current church was built on the foundations. Poet and reverend Nicolaas Beets baptized the children of his daughter Jacqueline and son-in-law Pieter van Foreest (mayor and secretary) in the then new church. Between 1912 and 1934, the tram line from Schagen to Ewijcksluis for connection to the mail boat to Wieringen passed right in front of the church. Due to declining church attendance in the 1980s, the church was in danger of being demolished due to the merger of the Dutch Reformed congregation with that of Anna Paulowna. Thanks to the great efforts of then mayor Dijkstra and fellow villagers, a foundation was set up for the restoration, to which the preservation of the building was transferred. During the renovation, central heating, an auditorium, kitchen and toilets were installed to serve as a social and cultural platform. The Foundation ‘Friends around the White Church in Wieringerwaard’ takes care of the building and the still to be repaid loans from the restoration period. Since 1989, the Hervormde Gemeente Wieringerwaard has held its services there on Sundays. The church is a cultural Public Benefit Institution. A stylish and attractive space for mourning and wedding services, music, singing, commemorations, lectures, etc. Valuation The church building from 1865 is of general interest because of its cultural and architectural-historical value as a largely intact example of a hall church built in the second half of the 19th century in the North Holland countryside, built in a sober eclectic style. The church has situational value because of its iconic location on a mound in the village of Wieringerwaard. The church has the status of a national monument. Sources Register of monuments via www.monumentenregister.cultureelerfgoed.nl Witte Kerkje Wieringerwaard via www.wittekerkjewieringerwaard.nl