Nov 29, 2013

Nieuwe Kerk Delft | Vader des vaderlands



Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is a landmark Protestant church in Delft, Netherlands. In 1584, William of Orange (Willem van Oranje) was entombed here in a mausoleum designed by Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser.

Since then members of the House of Orange-Nassau have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004. The private royal family crypt is not open to the public.

The church tower is the second highest in the Netherlands, after the Domtoren in Utrecht.

In the Netherlands, William is known as the Vader des Vaderlands, "Father of the Fatherland", and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honour.