Open Monument Day: Over 5,000 monuments can be visited this weekend

At least 5,000 monuments are opening their doors this weekend for Open Monument Day. Visitors can take a look inside castles, warehouses, tunnels, and churches free of charge. This year's theme is "Routes, networks, and connections."

In Amsterdam, a closed pedestrian tunnel was opened under the Keizersgracht, connecting former bank buildings. According to the municipality, this is the only tunnel in the city that runs under a canal. At the former radio station Radio Kootwijk in Gelderland, radio amateurs will re-establish the radio link with the former Dutch East Indies this weekend.

In addition, as every year, there will be activities at monuments in many places in the Netherlands. For example, there will be an organ concert in the Domkerk in Utrecht and guided tours of the VERA pop venue in Groningen on Saturday. The underground pop venue is celebrating its 50th anniversary, so the entire building, including the backstage, can be visited on Open Monument Day.

In Maastricht, the east crypt of St. Servatius Basilica, one of the oldest parts of the church, will be open to the public. In a 17th-century house in Amsterdam, choreographer Gregory Shaggy and his creative team from Studio Free&Style will "search" for their common roots with hip-hop, dance, and song in various rooms.

Open Monument Day is organized every year on the second weekend in September by the Netherlands Monuments Foundation in collaboration with more than 300 local committees and 18,000 volunteers throughout the country. The event attracts around 1.3 million visitors every year. During the weekend, thousands of monuments in the Netherlands are opened to the public to promote public interest in monuments and support for monument preservation.