The Lutheran Church in The Hague was built between 1759 and 1761 to a design by architect Pieter de Swart. In addition to church services, concerts are regularly held in the church today, especially on the famous Bätz organ.
Build
In 1751, the Lutheran congregation decided to build a larger church on the site of a sheltered church since 1615. In 1757, the stadholder architect Pieter de Swart, who designed the Palace on Lange Voorhout (Huis Patras) and the Koninklijke Schouwburg (Huis Nassau Weilburg), sketched the facade of the Lutheran Church in 1757. He did this together with the Amsterdam architect Coenraet Hoeneker, who also designed the interior. The work was put out to tender in 1758 and the church building was dedicated on December 13, 1761.
Restoration
From 1950, restoration and embellishment of the monument took place. Between 1961 and 1971 they worked on a thorough restoration. The wooden benches (as can still be seen next to the liturgical center) were replaced by loose chairs and the wooden doors under the balconies were replaced by curtains. In 1975 the restoration of the general monument was completed and the Lutheran congregation had a beautiful and stylish church building with outbuildings.
Architecture and interior
The Lutherse Kerk is an aisleless church with a brick facade in the classicist style, as is common in The Hague. The front door is in the middle and has a shuttered window on each side. Above this, the facade has three high arched windows with a small distribution of bars. On the roof are 'swans' as wind vanes, which is common in Lutheran churches.
The monumental church is covered by a single roof that rests on a particularly heavy assembly of support posts and struts. The draw beam, on which the entire roof construction rests, has a span of no less than 17.80 meters. The interior is white plastered and features Ionic pilasters along the walls. The whole is executed in the Dutch Louis XV style. As usual in Lutheran churches, the liturgical center is central. The brass gates on either side depict the story of Jonah and the whale.
Bätz organ
The Bätz organ in the Lutheran Church is a masterpiece by the Utrecht organ builder Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz. It was put into use in 1762. In 2007 a thorough restoration of the organ took place. Like the church, the organ is now a national monument.
The Bätz organ is of exceptional quality and enjoys an international reputation. The organ is used for weekly celebrations, for numerous organ concerts and for teaching organ students from the Netherlands and abroad. Many well-known musicians have played the organ, such as Feike Asma, Willem Mudde, Marie Claire Alain, Charles de Wolff, Ton Koopman, Ben van Oosten and Aart Bergwerff. The organ lends itself perfectly to the performance of both classical organ music and the more modern repertoire and therefore knows how to captivate and enthuse the audience time and again.
Accessibility
The Lutheran church is located in the city center of The Hague and is easily accessible by various means of transport. The car offers a solution for visitors from outside the city, via the N440, the A4, A12 and A13. You can park at the parking garage on the Grote Markt, which is within walking distance of the Lutheran church. In addition, the Lutheran church is also accessible by public transport. Central Station is within walking distance, but also tram 2, 3, 4, 6 and bus 22, 51 bring visitors to the Grote Markt. From there it is only a short walk to the Lutheran church.
