Over 100 Dutch castles, 300 churches open for public to explore today

Over 100 castles and about 300 churches in the Netherlands open their doors to visitors on Whit Monday. This year is the first national Open Church Day after two regional editions in Noord-Brabant and Zeeland. According to coordinator Liam Borger of the organizer Stichting Open Kerken, churches are “the largest cultural assets in the Netherlands,” and the event is intended to show their cultural-historical value.

Visitors can mostly enter for free and, for example, climb a church tower or view an art exhibition. The Open Church Day is all about the churches’ interiors. According to the foundation, “so much art and heritage can be seen in the buildings that you can call them museums without exaggeration.”

Borger hopes that the day will attract a large and broad audience. “Churches have strong ties with the region, but people often don’t see the church in their neighborhood from the inside. We are going to gauge how the day goes and hope that next year will be possible again nationally,” he said.

On the same day, people can also visit castles in the Netherlands for the 16th edition of the Day of the Castle. This year’s theme is Upstairs/Downstairs and focuses on the staff of castles and country estates. According to the organization of the Day of the Castle, the stories of gatekeepers, cooks, and caretakers, among others, have often disappeared and been forgotten. While castles could not exist without these people. During this day, the ANWB also awards the prize for the most romantic castle in the Netherlands.

A spokesperson for the event said that more castles participate every year. This year 120 castles open their doors, compared to just over 100 last year. He also expects more visitors than a year ago. “This year, we expect about 70,000 people. The weather will also be good.” Last year, the Day of the Castle attracted 60,000 people.