church buildings in groningen

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN

Church buildings in Groningen

Former, present-day and potential future use of churches in the city

Stina Andrén, Ilze Jankava, Māra Pucena, Márta Rekvényi, Emma Rugg

2010-04-22

Table of contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Goals ........................................................................................................................................ 2

Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 2

Background ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Religion in the Netherlands ..................................................................................................... 3

A secularized society ........................................................................................................... 4

Historical development of the church-state relation ............................................................ 5

Religion and churches in Groningen ................................................................................... 7

The growth of Evangelical churches in the Netherlands ..................................................... 8

Evangelical worship spaces ................................................................................................. 8

New use of churches .............................................................................................................. 10

To destroy, or not to destroy, under-used churches? ......................................................... 10

Cultural Heritage ............................................................................................................... 11

Cultural Tourism ............................................................................................................... 11

Re-developed churches throughout the Netherlands – the future in cutting edge

architecture?....................................................................................................................... 12

The re-development process .............................................................................................. 15

Method ............................................................................................................................................................... 16

Case studies ........................................................................................................................... 16

Questionnaires ....................................................................................................................... 17

Background information ........................................................................................................ 17

Results ................................................................................................................................................................. 19

Map of churches in Groningen .............................................................................................. 19

Case Studies – Groningen ..................................................................................................... 20

Westerkerk – a vanished church ........................................................................................ 20

Oosterkerk – apartment church ......................................................................................... 23

Noorderkerk – an opportunity ........................................................................................... 26

Nieuwe kerk – a well-visited church ................................................................................. 29

Groningen – public opinion on the re-development of church buildings .............................. 32

Discussion .......................................................................................................................................................... 34

Result discussion ................................................................................................................... 34

Method discussion ................................................................................................................. 36

Case studies ....................................................................................................................... 36

Questionnaires ................................................................................................................... 37

Background information .................................................................................................... 38

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 39

Churches in future Groningen ...................................................................................................................... 40

Reference ........................................................................................................................................................... 42

ISGP 2010 – Church buildings in Groningen

1

Introduction

Following what can be described as a „trend‟ in Western European countries, the Netherlands

is moving towards a greater division between Church and State, and an increasing

secularization of the population. For example, in 2008 only 19% of the Dutch population aged

12 years and over visited church ceremonies regularly, as opposed to 24% in 1997. (CBS,

2010, accessed at www.cbs.nl/statline) It is fair to say that the religious-landscape of the

Netherlands today is dramatically different to what is was in the early 20th century.

While central parts of the country commonly referred to as the „bible belt‟ still resonate

strongly with the Protestant and Catholic traditions, external urban centers like Groningen are

constantly moving away from religious identification. Jan Groenendijk‟s article „Government

in the Netherlands: The Culture of Politics‟ (Gorp , van M. and Renes, eds, 2003) clearly

outlines the modernist/liberal nature of the North, as opposed to the Catholic regions south of

the big rivers, and the Orthodox Protestant regions from the Zeeland isles through the Betuwe,

Utrecht, the Veluwe, North and West Overijssel, to parts of Friesland.

Considering the increasingly secular ideological landscape of Groningen, we are interested to

see how this translates to the physical landscape. With religion becoming less central to daily

life, the role of churches in the traditional sense – as houses of worship - is becoming less and

less significant. We would like to ask then, how these physical structures can adapt to the

cultural changes sweeping the city?

The value of churches as under-used space is particularly interesting considering the spatial

pressures currently facing Goningen - the strategic plan for the city‟s future as outlined in the

Groningen- Assen Regional Vision 2030 (van Steen, 2010) states the need for 30,000 new

houses in a ten year period, while national objectives as outlined by the Ministry of Economic

Affairs in the „Peaks in the Delta. Regional Economic Perspectives. The Hague‟ (accessed at

www.minez.nl) document, are geared towards the construction of industrial land to strengthen

the economic development of the Dutch regions.


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So bearing in mind these spatial pressures, together with the changing ideological landscape of

Groningen, we are curious to see what church buildings are adopting new functions. Examples

that have inspired us to pursue the topic are the site of the former Westerkerk, which has been

transformed into housing, and a similar example on Meeuwerderweg in the neighbourhood of

Oosterport, where more semi-bulk housing has been constructed in the site of the original

church.

Furthermore, we would like to find out how willing the local citizens are to see these historical

structures utilised - or potentially utilised - in new ways?

Essentially, like all questions of modernisation, the revitalisation of churches is a battle

between preserving the past and creating the future, and we are extremely curious to see how,

why, and if this is being done in Groningen.

Goals

We will investigate the social, cultural and economic role of churches in Groningen;

We will investigate the present-day use of churches in Groningen;

We will speculate on the possible future uses of churches in Groningen.

Research Questions

Q. Considering the gradual secularisation of Groningen, how significant are church buildings

throughout the city, and in what ways can they be effectively utilised for non-religious

purposes?

What is the present-day level and frequency of church attendance in the city of Groningen?

Which religions are most important in this respect?

a. How many church buildings are there in the city of Groningen?

b. For which functions are these buildings presently used?


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Which church buildings, outside the inner-city, that no longer offer weekly religious

ceremonies, or presently suffer from low church attendance, are suitable for an in-depth

analysis for our research project?

a. When did – or will – religious ceremonies in the selected churches stop? Why?

b. How do the residents of the neighbourhood feel about this? Where do they now go to for

religious ceremonies, if at all?

c. Are the church buildings valued as important landmarks or structures in their

neighbourhoods?

d. What are the plans for future use of these church buildings?

e. What future uses would the residents of the neighbourhood prefer? Can this be compared to

current plans for future use of the church buildings?

What would we propose for the use of the church buildings, based on our analysis of the

buildings, the neighbourhoods and the wishes of the local inhabitants?

Background

The background consists of two main parts. The first part deals with religion in the

Netherlands: the historical development of the church-state relation and the growing

secularization, the rise of evangelical churches, as well as the situation in Groningen. The

second part deals with new uses of churches: examples and theory of redevelopment of

churches as well as the cultural heritage of churches.

Religion in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a long history of religious diversity, and likewise today the country

remains a multicultural society with Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists and people

with other or no religious beliefs living together.

Through the years, protestant Calvinism has been the largest religion in the country, followed

by Catholicism. The southeastern parts of Netherlands are historically catholic and the central

and northern parts protestant (Knippenberg, J. 2006).


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Nowadays Catholicism is the largest religion in the Netherlands with 26.3 percent of the

population, followed by the protestant church with 11.4 percent. Both of these churches have

lost great numbers of members in the last decades, though the protestant church has decreased

the most. The number of Muslims is five percent of the Dutch population

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands).

The Dutch protestants where mainly divided into two institutions; de Hervormde kerk which

was founded 1571, and de Gereformeerde kerk, founded in 1892 (www.protestantchurch.nl).

Due to decreasing amounts of church members the two Calvinist institutions merged together

in 2004 with a smaller Lutheran community and formed de Protestantse kerk Nederland. This

merger was not popular among all church members and consequently a new church, de

Hersteld hervormde kerk, was formed by some of the members of the former Hervormde kerk

(www.hersteldhervormdekerk.nl).

Since the 17th and 18th century a belt of land from the province of Zeeland in southwestern

Netherlands to the province of Overijssel in eastern Netherlands has been settled by orthodox

Calvinists. Many people in this area are still today very religious, and the area is therefore

known as “the bible belt” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt_%28Netherlands%29). In

present-day Netherlands the number of orthodox Calvinists is six percent

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands).

A secularized society

The Netherlands of today is a highly secularized society, where church and state are

completely separated. Dutch secularization started already in the 19th century, escalated

significantly in the 1960‟s, and ever since the number of citizens who declare themselves as

nonreligious is continuously increasing and church attendance is falling. A survey conducted

by Statistics Netherlands in 2004 showed that 50% of the population claimed to belong to a

Christian denomination, 9% to other denominations and 42% to none. In the same study 19%

of the people said they go to church at least once a month, 9% less than once a month, and 72%

hardly ever or never (Statistical Yearbook of the Netherlands 2006, p. 43).


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These numbers speak a clear language. In order to understand how the present-day situation

developed, the following part gives an overview of the history of the church-state relation in

the Netherlands.

Historical development of the church-state relation

In the 16th century the Netherlands was part of the Habsburg Empire, reigned by the Spanish

king Philip II. (Knippenberg J.M., 2006) As the Netherlands, at that time including the region

which is now Belgium, was one of the centers of early Protestantism and King Philip II kept a

counter-reformative catholic policy, the relation between the Netherlands and the Habsburg

reign was becoming increasingly strained. Consequently in 1568 the Netherlands revolted

against Habsburg under the leadership of William of Orange. This revolt was the beginning of

the Dutch state, and in 1581 the northern part of the Netherlands (excluding Belgium) broke

off from the Spanish crown and formed the Union of Utrecht.

The Calvinist church was the dominant church, but freedom of religion was stated in the laws

of the union, and it was also stated that no one would be prosecuted because of her religion.

These statements were very progressive at that time, and stood in great contrast to the rules of

the Habsburg Empire. The freedom of religion in the Netherlands made it a safe haven for

people who were pursued because of their religion, such as Jews from the Iberian Peninsula

and Huguenots from France.

In 1795 the Batavian Revolution took place (the Dutch version of the French revolution).

Political power was centralized and church and state were more separated. In 1809 the

Netherlands became part of Napoleon‟s France, but was liberated again in 1813 when

Napoleon was defeated in Leipzig. After this the Netherlands became a monarchy with

William I of Orange as king. The relation church-state stayed largely unchanged though.

Church and state became even more separated with the liberal constitution in 1848, as it stated

that churches were no longer obliged to get state approval of their church organization, and all

churches were provided with government protection.

In the second part of the 19th century there was a religious revival amongst the Roman

Catholic and Orthodox Protestant populations of the Netherlands. At the same time the


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ideology of socialism entered the country, and this meant that a growing amount of people

declared themselves as nonreligious. These movements were the start of the “pillarization” of

the Dutch society. The term pillarization means that the Dutch society was divided into

different groups or “pillars”, namely: Orthodox Protestants, Roman Catholics, socialists and

liberals. The pillarization meant that people at large stayed within their social groups, e. g.

marrying within the group, going to a school that belongs to the group etc. In 1917 the

pillarization became institutionalized, with the agreement on equal state financing of public

and confessional primary education and right to vote for all citizens, men and women. During

these decades secularization increased steadily and in 1960 the number of nonreligious

citizens was 18.3 %.

The Netherlands, like many other western countries, went through a cultural revolution in the

1960‟s and 1970‟s. Individualism and sexuality became important, secularization accelerated

and the Dutch society started to “de-pillarize”. This meant that the social and religious groups

started to dissolve, e.g. religiously mixed marriages increased, and the political power of the

confessional parties declined. In 1959 the confessional parties had the majority in the

parliament, and two decades later they had only one third of the votes. Although de-

pillarisation continued, the law stating equal financing of confessional and public schools

remained unchanged.

In 1972 the state-church relation weakened further, as the article about the financial

relationship between them was removed from the Dutch Constitution. The consequence of this

was that religious institutions no longer had the lawful right to be subsidized by the state, but

that they still had the possibility to get subsidy from the local authorities. Church buildings

could still benefit from government concern for monuments in general. These changes made to

the Constitution, still valid today, eventually turned the Netherlands into one of the most

secularized countries in the western world.

In the 1960‟s the Netherlands saw economic development and growing prosperity and

therefore was in need of labor from abroad. Economic immigration started. With the oil crisis

in the 1970‟s the immigration changed from economic to social immigration. The immigrants


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came mainly from Islamic countries like Turkey and Morocco, and therefore the Muslim

population of the Netherlands grew. In recent years immigrants have come mainly from

countries like Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan. The equal financing of confessional and public

schools made it relatively easy for the Muslim population to establish religious schools, and

also many mosques were built. In the 1980‟s and 90‟s more than 400 mosques were

established in the Netherlands. There are big local differences though, since the establishment

of mosques and subsidy of religious activities are decisions to be made by the local authorities.

The recent decade the situation of the Muslim population in the Netherlands, as in many other

countries, has become more difficult for many reasons, among others the September 11 act of

terror. In a survey conducted in 2002 the Dutch evaluated their Muslim fellow citizens more

negatively than five years earlier. Political parties hostile to foreigners have gained ground in

several of the elections of the recent decade.

Religion and churches in Groningen

Being located in northern Netherlands, Groningen belongs to the historically protestant part of

the country. However with secularization and immigration occurring in the past century the

situation today is different. A survey conducted in 2009 by the Dutch statistics office CBS

indicated that Groningen was the least religious province in the country, with only 37 percent

of the population saying they belong to a church, this can be compared to the province of

Limburg where 82 percent claimed to belong to a church

(http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2314003.ece/More_Dutch_Muslims_are_skipping_the_

mosque).

Groningen lies in the area with the least Catholics in the Netherlands; the diocese of

Groningen-Leeuwarden has the smallest amount of members of all the dioceses of the

Netherlands, namely 109 000, which is 6.1 percent of the population in the area (KASKI

annual report nr. 561, 2006).

There are many church buildings throughout the city, both protestant, evangelical and catholic,

with the main part being protestant. Since Groningen is an old city - more than 1000 years old

- there are church buildings from many different time periods in the city. The biggest and most


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outstanding churches are the old ones, while the more modern churches are usually not as big

and spectacular. The evangelical church buildings are often very anonymous, melting into the

surrounding area and looking like ordinary buildings. There is also a mosque in Groningen,

located in an old farm house. In the old Jewish blocks there is a synagogue, which nowadays

has a mixed use.

The growth of Evangelical churches in the Netherlands

The evangelical Christian movement finds its roots in the Protestant tradition, and can be

described as a move away from institutionalisation and rationalisation, in favour of personal

devotion and more experiential faith.

The United States has been the center of growth in evangelical Christianity, but the movement

has also been gathering momentum in the Netherlands since the late 18th century. The

movement in its present form started growing in the 1950s, with groups like Campus Crusade

for Christ and Youth for Christ formed to spread the word amongst the younger and more

dynamic population. In In 1972 the Charismatische Werkgemeenschap Nederland (Dutch

Charasmatic Working Community) was formed, with a focus on spiritual and liturgical

renewal, and in 1979, the Evangelical Alliance was formed to unite the various groups into a

solid Evangelical whole. (Roeland, 2009)

Central to the evangelical celebration of faith is the cell-group model of organising members

of the community into small prayer and discussion groups, so as to foster a more social and

personal experience of religion. Evangelical services carry the same personalised theme, with

a focus on popular music and experiential participation in services, as opposed to than the

more autocratic ceremonies common in the Catholic and Protestant traditions. (Roeland, 2009)

Evangelical worship spaces

Naturally, with the change in celebration style amongst Evangelical groups, came a change in

the nature of the churches they celebrated in. Kilde elaborates: „In their capacity as social

designators, church buildings and spaces are political places, places in which social power and

authority are asserted, tested, and negociated.‟ (Kilde, 2002)


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Traditionally, Protestant churches are characterised by large, rectaNgular areas filled with

pews, placed before a large stage or pulpit from which the minister conducts the service. The

style often imitates the inverted design of a classical Greek or Roman amphitheatre.

Traditional Christian churches have also been designed to distinguish and segregate

worshippers into a sort of religious and social hierarchy – the most holy are found near the

front, women on the left, men on teh right, blacks in the balcony, etc. (Kilde, 2002)

The pioneers of the Evangelical movement favored an amphitheatre design for churches in the

19th century, known as the neomedieval auditorium church. This new style of building

reflected the increasingly theatrical nature of Evangelical services, with their increased oratory

and dramatic delivery techniques, and the urge to attract bigger audiences. The larger and

more open spaces also broke down the distance between preacher and worshipper, and

encouraged audience participation in the service. (Sengers, 2005)

Today, the design of Evangelical churches has evolved into a typically „megachurch‟ structure,

characterized by open spaces and a „stadium‟ atmosphere.

A further difference between traditional and evangelical churches is the role of light. While

stained glass windows and dark spaces charachterise older churches, Kremers (2003) claims

that evangelical architecture is more concerned with reflecting God‟s image through space,

light and materiality.

Figure 1 shows the

Evangelisch Lutherse kerk in

Groningen. This is an

example of a small

Evangelical church, which

doesn‟t utilize the „mega

church‟ structure, but still

bucks traditional Christian

church design with its focus

on light and simplicity, and its


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lack of ornamentation.

The discussion of Evangelical religions clearly shows how their growing popularity, and their

more simplified worship spaces, further weakens the position of traditional Christian churches

in Groningen.

New use of churches

To destroy, or not to destroy, under-used churches?

The decision to remodel or destroy an under-used church building is complex, and must take

into consideration finance, cultural heritage, the limitations of space, and the future value of

reconstruction.

Although a church may be under-used, it can be argued that church buildings are landmarks in

their respective cities or neighbourhoods,. Often, buildings are representative of a certain time

period or building style, and can be considered „sacred‟ by the community, because they have

hosted many people‟s baptisms, marriages, funerals, and other significant life events.

Furthermore, many people in the community may have contributed financially to the church

over the years, so the demolition of the building would signify a „bad investment‟, or the waste

of their contributions. Demolition or re-modelling of a church could also signify a loss of

confidence in the church organisation as a whole, and further aid the process of secularisation

in the Netherlands. (Roeterdink, 2002)

Structurally, churches being considered for alternate uses have often not been maintained to a

high standard, which raises the cost of renovation. Essential changes like increasing light

openings within the building and improving heating are also expensive.

Thick walls, a large indoor air volume and relatively limited natural ventilation characterise

old, traditional church buildings, and while this may bring a relatively stable indoor climate,

the high thermal comfort of modern buildings has brought about demand for more heating in

the older buildings, which comes at a considerable cost, and can lead to a decrease in relative


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humidity on cold winter days, which is dangerous for the indoor monumental interior as it can

lead to hygric shrinkage and cracking of wooden parts of the building. (Schellen, H. 2002)

although maintaining the skeleton of an original church building rather than demolishing it as

a whole is still ten to twenty percent cheaper.

Cultural Heritage

What must also be considered is churches as cultural heritage, and their role in the

construction of a national Dutch identity, as well as an international identity that is projected

to tourists.

Gorp, Hoff and Renes (2003) write about the tendency of tourist guides to promote the

Netherlands as „another time and place‟, rich in history and old-world charm. They write of

the „old Holland‟ image of historical landscapes with mostly 17th and 18th century houses,

canals, churches, city walls and a city hall. This image is projected strongly onto the regional

areas outside the Randstad, like Groningen. The province of Groningen has in many ways

adapted this image as well, and actively promotes the history and traditions of the region in its

marketing campaigns. The official Groningen toerisme web page, for example, describes the

city as „rich in history‟, and lists heritage and architectural sites among the top activities for

visitors (www.toerisme.groningen.nl/english)

Cultural Tourism

Park (2010) claims that between 35 and 70 percent of tourists are now believed to be „cultural

tourists‟, meaning that the perceived cultural worth of a place, in terms of its history and the

amount of cultural activities available, is their main motivation for visiting.

While this may exist fairly obviously on an international scale, Park (2010) also believes that

cultural, or heritage toursim is also important for local people within their home country. He

says „Visits to heritage settings are expected to encourage nationals to feel part of and

connected to the nation‟s past in their national imagination.‟

In the Netherlands, there are 3.229 listed monumental churches, which is 7 percent of the

46,775 listed monuments. But when you subtract the 30,955 houses listed as monuments,


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churches make up 49 percent of the remaining buildings. It is reasonable to conclude then, that

churches are a significant part of the living history or cultural heritage of the Netherlands.

(Schellen, 2002)

This may be especially prevalent for large monuments or impressive palaces, but the same

principals can also apply at a local or neighborhood level, where an old or well-used building

like a church can come to symbolize the development of the area and act as a point of

identification for its residents. Even if people are not religious, or do not use the space, the

same principles apply, Park (2010) notes: „individuals variably position themselves in a

broader context of cultural construction and symbolic embodiment of the nation and national

identity.‟

Re-developed churches throughout the Netherlands – the future in cutting edge architecture?

Many under-used churches have been converted into new structures throughout the

Netherlands, and reflect an evolving style of architectural design which values he fusion of

tradition and modernity.

The conversion of church buildings to residential dwellings is becoming common throughout

the country, with some developments taking care to remove all traces of the past, while others

are preserving the original facades for aesthetic reasons. The Zecc architecture group has made

itself a niche in high-quality church renovations that emphasise the existing spatial qualities of

the buildings within the new designs. (styleture.com)

A notable Zecc project, which modernised an old Church but also maintained the original

character of the building, is the conversion of the Church of Living, in Utrecht. The impressive

development was nominated for the Dutch Design Award in 2008.


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In their renovation of the Church of Living - a former Catholic church - Zecc increased

daylight by adding extra roof windows, while at the same time drawing attention to the

existing stained-glass windows by whitening the surrounding space. To further accentuate the

original character of the building, a new Mondriaan-like window was added, appearing like an

abstract version of the original leaded glass windows. Existing furniture was also retained in

the new design, with church benches used to make a dining area and table. The Zecc group has

also converted an under-used church in Dieren into three separate commercial offices.

The original Waterstaatkerk Protestant church was built in 1848 and is currently being

converted into office spaces by dividing the space into three vertical levels and making a

former window frame into an entrance. Like The Church of the Living, original features of the

building like stained-glass windows and ornate window frames will be retained, in a bid to

maintain some of the existing character of the building.


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Another notable Church conversion in the Netherlands can be found in Maastricht, in a former

Dominican church re-made into a Selexyz bookstore, by Merkx+Girod architects.

The original facade and internal spatial qualities have been retained, with the design team

going to great lengths to ensure that the internal structure was not dramatically altered. A

problem arose when the client demanded more retail space, and requested that a secon floor be

installed within the church. Afraid that this would ruin the existing features of the building, the

architectural design team installed a large, walk-in bookcase instead, to provide the same

amount of space as a second level.

(http://www.designtopnews.com/interior-design/merkxgirod-architects-bookstore-selexyz-

dominicanen-in-netherlands/)

The Church of the Living, the

Waterstaatkerk and the Selexyz

Dominican Church have all been

renovated for different purposes,

but all three projects place a

common emphasis on retaining

existing features of the buildings.

This not only preserves cultural

heritage, but also adds aesthetic


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value and makes the buildings into valuable contemporary designs. Furthermore, the high

quality and aesthetic value of these designs suggest that converted churches can be effectively

targeted towards high-income individuals and businesses.

The re-development process

(Roeterdink, 2002) claims that the things to be considered beyond the emotional or cultural

worth of a church building are zoning and monument laws, market demand for the proposed

function, the structural state of the building, as well as its accessability, and the consent of

local governments and church boards.

The commonly used KUN-step plan sets out ten specific points to consider before a building

can be declared re-useable.

• Step 1 Identification of vacancy

A consideration of the building‟s maintenance condition, and what the cause of the vacancy is.

• Step 2 Initiative to reallocate

It should look at the person who takes initiative, at which time they should do so publicly, and

how he or she goes about the process.

• Step 3-Development Strategy for conversion

Now is the time to set goals, consider the means to achieve these goals, and devise strategies

to achieve them.

• Step 4 Research into the monument and its surroundings

Information must be gathered on the architectural, legal, and contextual surroundings of the

building

• Step 5 Feasibility study of the conversion

Architects will contribute to an assesment of the proposed conversion.

• Step 6 Financing of the conversion plan


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All financial statements are made transparent. Who are the investors, what is the

financial and construction grants for which the project is eligible, or who can offer

other financial support must be considered.

• Step 7 Lay the conversion

The construction plans with specifications shall be prepared and tested in various regulatory

environments.

• Step 8 Approval of the construction plan

The entire plan is submitted for approval to the municipality to obtain a

building

• Step 9 Implementation of the construction plan

A good contractor will be appointed, and construction begins.

• Step 10 Management and operation of the monument

Management must be arranged in a good operator, which respects the building.

Method In order to catch as many aspects as possible of the conceptions and use of churches in

Groningen we used many different methods when working with the project. The three main

activities we engaged in were to make case studies, design and conduct questionnaires and

find background information on the subject. For each of these activities a closer description of

the methods used will be given in the following section.

Case studies

We made case studies of four different churches in Groningen. Each of these churches was

visited and photographed, and questionnaires were made about all of the churches except for

Westerkerk, that no longer exists. To find background information as well as history of the

different churches we used many different methods; information search on the internet, visits

in the Groningen Archives, calls to architecture firms and visits to housing companies as well

as making shorter interviews with people working in the different churches.


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Questionnaires

We made two sorts of questionnaires. One questionnaire was made of each case study (except

for Westerkerk) with both specific questions about the church it concerned as well as some

general questions. We also made one general questionnaire asked in different parts of the city,

with general questions about church use and perceptions of churches.

Both sorts of questionnaires were highly structured, with mainly multiple choice and yes/no

questions. The respondents were given a copy of the questionnaire and could fill in the

answers themselves. The respondents were also able to choose if they wanted a questionnaire

in Dutch or in English. In the general questionnaire there was one open question, and in the

questionnaire for the people living in Oosterport church there were two open questions, apart

from that all the questions were closed and therefore statistically quantifiable. The general

questionnaire consisted of 9 questions, Oosterpoort questionnaire of 5 questions, people who

live in Oosterpoort apartment had to answer to 4 questions, Noorderkerk 7 questions, and

finally 6 questions were for Niewe Kerk area residents. The number of respondents were

approximately 50 for the general questionnaire and 25 for the case study questionnaires.

We conducted the questionnaire in various areas of Groningen, mostly focusing on Grote

Markt and the Noorderplantsoen park which is close to the city centre. This choice was

determined by the fact that these are public places that usually attract a lot of people. We only

questioned the locals of Groningen. In other regions, such as Oosterport, we questioned people

close to the Super de Boer shop, the apartment area close to Oosterkerk and Noorderkerk.

However, to sample people that live in the Oosterkerk apartment building we had to wait for

them outside. As one of the participants noted, it would not be a good idea to visit people

directly in their homes. We sampled people from various age groups, such as 15-30, 30-50 and

50-70, mostly focusing on the middle aged participants. We conducted the questionnaires

during four days.

Background information

Apart from conducting case studies and questionnaires we needed background information for

the project. This information was found in part through information search on internet but also

from reading scientific articles, visiting the Groningen tourism office and making interviews.


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Several interviews were made; one with an employee at the Groningen archives, two

interviews were also made with staff in de Nieuwe kerk on different occasions. Information

was also found by reading old newspaper articles at Groningen archives.


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Results

Map of churches in Groningen

The above map shows churches in Groningen, divided into different categories. Each category

has a different color-coding.


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Case Studies – Groningen

In order to explore the issues surrounding the re-development of churches in Groningen, and

gauge public opinion on the different possible re-uses of church buildings, we have selected

four church buildings to use as case studies. The first is the Westerkerk, a demolished church

in the city centre, followed by the Oosterkerk which has been converted into apartments, the

Noorderkerk which is awaiting re-development, and the Niewe Kerk, which is still in use.

Westerkerk – a vanished church

What made Westerkerk a good case study?

There are few old churches which were demolished

during the past century in Groningen. In fact only

three of them; Paterskerk on Gelkingestraat which

was demolished in the 60‟s, Sint-Martinuskerk

opposite the University‟s Academy building,

demolished in the 80‟s, and Westerkerk on

Kraneweg, demolished in the 90‟s.

After looking closer into the history of the three

demolished churches we chose to make a case

study of Westerkerk because it was the most

recently demolished church, and also because the

demolition had led to protests and got a lot of

attention in the media. In other words there was

much and interesting information available on

Westerkerk. We thought that Westerkerk would

make a good example of an old church being demolished.

History of Westerkerk

Westerkerk was a church situated on Kraneweg 3, west of the city center of Groningen. It was

built in 1906, designed by the architect Tjeerd Kuipers

(http://www.hetverhaalvangroningen.nl/story/81). The architectural style of the church was


21

mainly jugend, with a red brick facade and two towers at the front, whereof one smaller and

one high and outstanding clock tower. Because of its high tower Westerkerk could be seen

from a far distance and served as an orientation point at the Kraneweg and in the surrounding

neighborhoods. Westerkerk belonged to the protestant Gereformeerde community.

In july 1987 the municipality announced that Westerkerk was going to be demolished

(http://www.hetverhaalvangroningen.nl/story/81). The Gereformeerde community of

Westerkerk was merged with the Hervormd community and placed in Nieuwe kerk instead.

The plan was that the church would be replaced by apartments for the upper middle-class.

The announcement got much attention in the media, and was not well received in the

neighborhood and among left-wing political parties and groups in Groningen. Because of

protests from these groups the decision to demolish the church was postponed and the church

council tried to find other uses for the church.

Among others there was in 1989 a plan to make Westerkerk into a mosque for Groningen‟s

Muslims (Nieuwsblad van het noorden, Wednesday 10 may 1989). The church council was

planning to sell the church to a Muslim society. At this time there were no mosque in

Groningen, and the Muslims therefore hoped that the plan would be realized. Though the

initial plan of the Muslim society was to build a mosque in Vinkhuizen, though they didn‟t

have enough capital for this yet, and therefore the Westerkerk mosque would only be a

temporary solution for them. It was later decided that Westerkerk would not become a mosque,

and in 1993 the municipality announced once again that the church would be demolished the

same year, because they hadn‟t found any serious buyers (Nieuwsblad van het noorden,

Wednesday 17 March 1993). It had become too expensive to maintain the church, and in its

place 29 apartments would be built.

The decision to demolish the church once again made many people upset, and as a

consequence Westerkerk was squatted in 1993 (Nieuwsblad van het noorden, Wednesday 17

March 1993). The squatters wanted to stop the demolition of the church and refused to leave

the building. This caused the demolition of the church to be further postponed until 1994.


22

Eventually, the demolishing of the church started in the fall of 1994 (Nieuwsblad van het

noorden, Wednesday 11 August 1994). A squad team was sent to the church to make the

squatters leave the building. The squad team completed their task and afterwards the inventory

of the church was gathered and moved to different locations, e.g. other churches.

The present-day apartment building

In late 1994 the building of the new apartments at Kraneweg 3 started (Nieuwsblad van het

noorden, Wednesday 11 August 1994). The new building was designed by architect C.

Kalfsbeek. The building has 29 apartments in different sizes. The style of the building is not

remarkable; it has a light beige brick façade and fits in well with the color of the other houses

on Kraneweg. The one thing that is remarkable about the building is that it has a church

weathercock on top of it. This is the church weathercock of the Westerkerk‟s highest tower,

and it sits at the exact spot where Westerkerk once stood

(http://www.hetverhaalvangroningen.nl/story/81).


23

Oosterkerk – apartment church

What made the Oosterkerk a good case study?

For us it was a little bit strange that people could

rebuild churches into apartments. In our experience

churches are provided for religious ceremony and

sometimes near them are graveyards. And if churches

are rebuilt, then they still have their holy spirit. In

Groningen there are 2 churches that now are rebuilt and

used for residential building and accommodations. One

of them is Zuiderkerk on Stationsstraat in the inner city,

and another is Oosterkerk on Oosterweg. [Roeterdink,

2002] Both of them have been rebuilt in the 1980s. As

our goal was to look at church buildings, which are not

located in inner city, but in other neighborhoods, then

our choice was for Oosterkerk on Oosterweg.

History of Oosterkerk

Oosterkerk is located in one of residential areas of Groningen - in Oosterpoort. It was built in

1929 and till 1980 it was used as Dutch Reformed church.

[http://reliwiki.nl/index.php?title=Groningen%2C_Oosterweg_-_Oosterkerk]

Because people didn‟t attend it anymore, since 1987 when renovation of this church was

completed, it has been used for apartments. Because the Netherlands is a very densely

populated country, finding places of residence is typically problematic. For many people it

was convenient, and not very strange to live in a former church building. They consider it

something special. The architect of original building was Hoekzema (Groningen), however

Sijpkes en Oving (Groningen) was the architect of the renovated building.

[http://reliwiki.nl/index.php?title=Groningen%2C_Oosterweg_-_Oosterkerk);] What remains

from the old building is the extended tower, facade and some windows.


24

The present-day apartment building

At the moment there are 22 apartments; all are rented by its owner – Christian organization

Patrimonium. This organization is Christian heritage Housing Fund with Social Housing. In

Groningen it is since 1914 and in city and neighborhoods it rents out approximately 6700

dwellings. This organization also rents out buildings for commercial purposes, car parks and

garages. They have more than 40 workers. [http://www.patrimonium-groningen.nl/)]

The Oosterkerk is located in a residential area and is a quiet, nice place for living. Age

structure for the people who live in this building is mostly young people above 25. There are a

lot of advantages of living in this place. A church building is very beautiful, and its aesthetic

qualities attract people. Besides it has a tower and

magnificent entrance, which like the outside façade,

remains from the old design. Behind the building there

is a big garden and a backyard, where people can take a

rest and organize parties. Besides that, apartments are

quite big.

One of determinant reasons for this place of residence,

could be the small distance from city centre (0.7 km).

There are very good traffic connections - near is the

Groningen railway central station, bus line No.5, near to

main roads to other cities. But in this neighborhood.

traffic is limited by traffic signs (but for bicycle there

are paths). There is no place for car parking. Near are a

lot of community services (cafe, playground for children, stadium). This area could be

characterized by safety (police service is patrolling around). It is suitable for pets (many cats).

Perspective housing and business area (new buildings are building). Wherewith we could

come to a conclusion, that despite this building before was a church, it now fits the

requirements for quality housing.


25

0

5

10

15

6

2

12

4

0

4

1

Number of respondents

Function

Public opinion on the re-development of the Oosterkerk

To find out how residents of the Oosterport neighbourhood feel about the re-development of

the building, we conducted a questionaire amongst 25 respondents. 5 of them in age group 15-

30, 13 in group 30-50, 7 in group 50-70. Almost all - 24 (96 %) of them supported churches

being used in new ways. 1 of them didn‟t support.

Figure 10. If a church would be used for other purposes, which one would you prefer?

Just 3 respondents (12 %) thought that it is better to tear down the church and build something

new, not to renovate the old church building (22 respondents). 18 (72 %) people supported

church building rebuilt into apartments, 7 – didn‟t support.


26

Figure 11. If a church would be used for other purposes, which one would you prefer?

We also conducted a survey amongst five people who live in the renovated Oosterkerk. 2 of

them have been living in this building 1 year, 1 – 5 years, 1 – 10 years, 1 – 15 years. Results

are shown in Figure 11.

Noorderkerk – an opportunity

What made Noorderkerk a good case study?

The Nooderkerk, on Ackerstraat in Groningen‟s north,

fits with the theme of our proect as it is an example of a

church that has recently closed, in response to low

levels of attendance. Like all such churches, the closure

of the Noorderkerk presented a challenge for both

private industry and the Municipality of Groningen, in

terms of developing the existing building in an

economically sound, and culturally sensitive manner.

But what makes it a perticularly interesting case is how

difficult this process has been, with the Noorderkerk

currently waiting for a private party to contribute

sufficient funds for its re-development. So the church

building remains in limbo, as both a challenge and an

opportunity for the city of Groningen.

History of Noorderkerk

The Noorderkerk was built in 1921, and modelled on the church of the same name in

Amsterdam. In line with Reformed Protestant tradition, the Noorderkerk was built in a

symmetrical layout, which reflected the ideals of the renaissance. The church was used as a

house of worship for the Reformed Protestant tradition until Sunday May 2nd, 2008, when the

last service was held and the church was forced to close due to dwindling attendance.


27

The Noorderkerk was purchased by the housing Nijestee company, and was originally

intended to be re-designed into apartments by the Amsterdam-based architecture firm Soeters

Van Eldonk. The plans provided for 40 apartments and a half-sunken garage, and would retain

the original church structure. A lift and a staircase were also planned to service these homes.

However, due to spiralling costs, Nijestee were forced to abandon the apartment plan, and are

currently looking to join forces with a private company and develop the building into a

commercial, rather than residential, space. They believe this will be more financially viable.

(Reynders, 2010)

Present day use of the building

While plans for the re-development are still under construction, the Nijestee company has

leased the Noorderkerk to the Special Locations Groningen organisation, who are currently

leasing the church as a venue for cultural and commercial activities. The location, heating, size

and lighting of the church make it an attractive venue for various activities, for example as a

rehearsal space for the Dutch North Theatre company, and Club Guy and Roni. The Sanctuary

area of the church is used as the main theatre space, with an outbuilding being used as a

rehearsal space.

Under the management of Special Locations Groningen, the Noorderkerk is available to rent

seven days per week, and the space can be transformed into a Theatre configuration, with

chairs in a row before a stage, a Cabaret configuration with tables and chairs, a Reception

configuration with standing tables, and an Installation Dinner or Preparation Meeting, with

large tables and chairs.

Large-scale community events can also be held in the Noorderkerk, such as the „Calling

Calcutta‟ Festival, which takes place every August in the neighborhood surrounding the

church. Since the church‟s closure, the space has become an integral part of the event, acting

as a call centre and point of information transfer between Calcutta and Groningen.

While the Noordekerk can be rented and used as a location for various private and public

events, a high-degree of care must be taken, to ensure the integrity of the historical building.


28

In keeping with the charachter of the building, no advertising is permitted on the outside of the

church, and no pets are allowed inside the building. the use of acids on the flooring is not

permitted, so as to keep the original floor preserved, while the use of candles and fire is also

heavily restricted, so as to minimise risks to the building. Blinds many be operated only by

the caretakers, cases must not lean against the plaster, and no thumbtacks, nails, or tape is

permitted on the walls, which are vulnerable in their old age.

These restrictions clearly show the vulnerable nature of historic church buildings, and the care

that must be taken when using them for new purposes, even in the short-term. While it may be

possible to re-use the buildings in various ways, both public and private, a high-degree of care

must be taken to avoid damage to the building‟s cultural heritage. This ultimately means that

such buildings are better-suited to more subdued and well-managed activities, such as

community events and corporate dinners, where organisations and their guests can be trusted

to utilise the space in accordance with the existing regulations.

Noorderkerk – public opinion

In questionnaire participate 21 respondents. Just 3 or 14 % of them visited Noorderkerk when

it was in use. 12 (57 %) regreted the fact that it was closed as a church (included 3 people who

visited the church), 9 did not.

19 (90 %) respondents answered that they support the current use of the noorderkerk building

as a space for theatre rehearsals, 2 do not.

9 (43 %)people support plans to convert the building into residential apartments, 12 do not.


29

Figure 13. If the Noorderkerk would be used for other purposes, which one would respondents prefer and

what they think which of these functions would the neighbourhood need the most. (number of people)

Just 2 (10 %) of respondents though that it is better to replace the Noorderkerk with a new

building.

Nieuwe kerk – a well-visited church

History of Nieuwe Kerk

The Nieuwe Kerk is a Protestant church in the city, located in the Hortus Area, north of the

city centre. After the reduction of Groningen in 1594, plans came to significantly expand the

city. The first plans date from 1608

and the works were completed until

1625. In the new plans also was a

new church. Its construction started

in 1660, modelled on the Nieuwe

Kerk in Amsterdam. The Nieuwe

Kerk is the first church in Groningen

which was built for Protestant

worship (the Martini Kerk and Der

Aa-kerk were originally Catholic

0

5

10

15

20

10

17

32

5

16

6

1

Function, which respondents prefer, if the Noorderkerk would be used for other purpose

Functions that the neighbourhood need the most

Function


Nieuwe kerk

Source:From personal archieves


30

churches). The Nieuwe Kerk was built in Renaissance style. Its floor map has a Greek cross

form, in the corners of the building are triangular houses built. The cross is crowned with a

small central tower. Moreover, there was a cemetery around the church. There were earlier

buried the dead plague. Meanwhile, the cemetery made room for a lawn with old trees. Former

name of the church was Sint-Walburgkerk. We found a map from 1832, and we recognized

the place and the building form of the Nieuwe Kerk, but the name was Noorder-Kerk. Nieuwe

Kerk has a huge old famous organ built by Johan Wilmenus Timpe in 1829-1831 to a design

drawing by Peter van Oeckelen. When designing the front side, Van Oeckelen is obviously

inspired by the famous front of the Christian Müller organ in the Grote of Sint Bavo Kerk in

Harlem. Later the famous organ maker Petrus van Oeckelen was an advisor during the

development and construction of the organ in the Nieuwe Kerk. He also drawed the design of

the organ. In the end this resulted in a massive organ, with 42 registers. The church gives

place for worship, for organ concerts, and different services, as talking groups for different

ages, tea afternoon, or at the weekend babysitter-service, as a „grandpa‟. They have a really

nice and strong community spirit.

Nieuwe Kerk – Questionnaires

We had really good experiences with the

questionnaires from the neighbourhood of the

Nieuwe Kerk. We used an effective technique,

we knocked on the doors. And people were kind,

friendly and helpful. Just 3 people didn‟t answer,

well they answered, but dismissively. The

interviewed people were mixed ages, from 16 to

80 years old.

We would like to highlight some of the

interesting answers. For the question „Would

you consider using an old church building for a

family event (for example birthday or

celebration)?‟ 11 people from the asked 25, who Groningen Stadskaart het kadastraal minuutplan 1832


31

never visit church (and of course Nieuwe Kerk), would consider using an old church for any

happening. And just 7 people would not consider using them. For us, this shows that people

generally like old church buildings. For another question „If the Noorderkerk would be used

for other purposes, which one would you prefer?‟ the most popular answer was, for cultural

purposes (18 people from 25), and the second one is for educational purposes (14 people from

25). Just 4 people chose residential housing. If the Nieuwe Kerk would close a lot of people

prefer to choose Martinikerk or Aa-Kerk.


32

Groningen – public opinion on the re-development of church buildings

To gauge public opinion on development issues of under-used churches, we conducted a

questionnaire amongst 48 members of the general public. 13 of them in age group 15-30, 23 in

group 30-50, 12 in group 50-70. The results are outlined below.

Figure 14. What is the importance of church buildings for a neighbourhood?

Figure 15. Do you support if church buildings, which are no longer used by religious institutions, are used

in new ways?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

It is important to have a religious institution in the neighbourhood

Church buildings tell something

about the history of the

neighbourhood

Church buildings add

architectonical value

Church buildings contribute to the community spirit

of a neighbourhood

Church buildings function as a

point of reference in the neighbourhood

5

17 17

9

6

Function


44; 92%

4; 8%

Support

Doesn't support


33

1; 2%

6; 12%

10; 21%

31; 65%

Demolish the building completely, and create an open space

Demolish the building completely, and build something new

Keep some parts of the original building to show it was once a church

Keep the outside of the building the same, and only renovate the inside

25; 47%

12; 23%

16; 30%

Public money

Church money

Private money

Figure 16. If an old church building was to used for a new purpose, what would you prefer?

Figure 17. If a church building in your neighbourhood was to be used for a new purpose, how would you

want to have that financed?


34

Discussion

The discussion consists of two parts; result discussion and method discussion.

Result discussion

Based on interviews with randomly selected members of the Groningen community, along

with residents in the neighbourhoods surrounding the case study sites of the former

Westerkerk,the Noorderkerk, and the former Oosterkerk, several trends can be clearly seen

when discussing desired uses for former church buildings.

A dominant theme across all interviews is that the majority of people support the re-use of

church buildings, which are no longer being used for religious purposes. Of the general

population, 44 out of 50 interviewees, or 92 %, think it is a good idea to re-use existing church

buildings. Many, however, still regret the closure of existing churches, with for example 57%

of interviewees regretting the closure of the Noorderkerk, even though only 0.06% of these

people actually attended the church while it was in operation. A perceived architectural and

historic value of churches can explain such sentiment, with 69% of interviewees believing that

church buildings add architectural or historic value to a neighbourhood.

The Aesthetic qualities of churches must be considered significant in people‟s desire to keep

or destroy a church building. When shown a picture of the visually impressive former

Weserkerk, 88% of interviewees believe it should have been kept, rather than destroyed, based

on its architectural value.

In terms of what former church buildings should be re-used for, amongst interviewees from

both the general population and the specific neighbourhoods, there was an overwhelming

preference for churches to be re-used for cultural or educational purposes. This is consistent

across age groups, with only a small variation.

Of interviewees from the general population. 65% of people aged 50-70 years old prefer

churches being re-used for cultural purposes, along with 45% of 30-50 yr olds and 25% of 15-

30 year olds . Education was a consistent second preference, with 24% of 50-70 year olds

preferring educational use, 21% of 30-50 yr olds, and un-surprisingly, the group with the


35

biggest vested interest in education – 15-30 yr olds - supported educational uses the most, with

35 %. of participants preferencing educational uses for former church buildings This was the

most popular option within their age group, as well as the highest preference for educational

uses amongst all age groups.

Also consistent across all age groups was the aversion to church re-use for business purposes

and retail outlets. The 50-70 yr old age group showed the lowest interest in this option, with 0%

of respondents choosing business or retail purposes as their preferred choice for church re-use.

In both he 30-50 yr old age group and the 15-30 yr old age group, only 5% of respondents

prefered business or retail use.

On a neighbourhood level, a similar preference towards cultural uses of churches is clear, with

education coming in second place. Amongst survey participants in the neighbourhood

surrounding the Noorderkerk, 53 % preferenced cultural uses for former churches, followed by

44% of participants in the neighbourhood surrounding the Niewe Kerk, and 39 % of

participants in the Oosterpoort neighbourhood. The preference for educational uses of former

churches was 31%, 37% and 21% respectively.

In a complementary fashion, alongside the common preference for former churches to be re-

used for educational or cultural purposes, is the preference for public money to fund the

conversion of the buildings. Of the general population, 47% of interviewees believe public

money should be utilised, while 30% believe private money should be employed and 23%

believe church money should be used.

Housing was a low preference amongst all groups, but this must be considered natural,

particularly for the participants in the neighbourhood surveys, as they have already secured

property to rent or to own,. Despite this, 75 % of interviewees from the general population

support former churches being converted into apartment buildings. One person interviewed in

Oosterport even mentioned a preference for living in a former church, as it complements her

Christian beliefs.


36

While a strong preference for cultural uses of churches is not entirely surprising, it is

interesting when considering the low rate of community participation in existing cultural

activities provided by churches. For example, just 25% of respondents from the Niewe Kerk

neighbourhood participate in existing community activities, while within the same group, 72 %

of people said they would prefer the church to be re-used for cultural purposes, if it were to

close. Thus, it could be concluded that such cultural activities in forer church buildings do not

need to be of a religious nature, or necessarily targeted towards the existing church community.

In terms of hiring a church, as is being done with the Noordekerk, 28% of respondents of the

Noorderkerk survey would hire it out for family or commercial purposes. 62 % of general

survey participants said they would hire it out.

Overall, it is clear that cultural uses of former church buildings are the most strongly desired,

but these activities do not necessarily have to be of a Christian nature. It is also fair to say that

there is a high aversion to retail use for forer churches. Thus, the best use of an under-used

church building would be if the original aeshetic was retained, while the inside was used to

host cultural events and activities. However, finances must be taken into account – considering

that the Nijeseste company has decided residential apartments are not a financially suitable

transformation for the Noorderkerk, the possibility for the building, along with many others, to

be re-used for non-commercial, cultural purposes, is slim, without additional private funding

or government subsidies to cover the costs.

Method discussion

The methods will be discussed divided by the different activities, namely: case studies,

questionnaires and background information.

Case studies

In order to get a deeper and more detailed understanding of the subject we chose we decided

to make case studies of different type of churches. The case studies can be seen as a small

sample of the whole church population in Groningen. In this way we could find out details and

history of a few of the churches, since there wasn‟t time enough in this project to make a

deeper investigation of all churches in Groningen. Since we saw the case studies as examples


37

of different states a church can be in, it was important to us to carefully choose which

churches to investigate closer. We wanted to have one demolished church, one rebuilt church,

one which is used for a new purpose and one which is well visited. We think that the four

churches (or former churches) we chose to make case studies of were good choices, since they

made good examples of different situations a church can end up in.

We tried to choose churches of which information could be relatively easily found, and for

most of them this was the case. However there was always the problem with our poor

understanding of the Dutch language, and some information - amongst others the plans for the

rebuilding/demolition of Noorderkerk - was not available due to that it was not public

information. But in general we could find enough information in order to finish our case

studies.

Questionnaires

The reason that we chose to make a general questionnaire in addition to the case study

questionnaires was precisely that we wanted to have more opinions in general of churches in

Groningen to be able to draw conclusions on the church perception in general in the city. The

case study questionnaires gave us a lot of specific information about peoples‟ opinions about

the church in question. There were a few general questions in the case study questionnaires,

but these general questions were easily biased by the case study church since most of the

questionnaire concerned that one.

To be able to generate statistics of peoples‟ opinions of the churches, and to compare peoples‟

opinions in the different neighborhoods, we chose to make the questionnaires to a high degree

quantitative. Some of the questions were open questions, and therefore had a qualitative nature,

but most of the questions were yes and no questions and therefore easily quantifiable.

When deciding whether to make a qualitative or a quantitative study one has to consider which

of them would fit the study best and which of them would give the most usable information. In

some cases a quantitative study is not possible, but in this case it was possible as well as

suitable to make a quantitative study. The reason for this is that the questions we wanted to be

answered could be posed in such a way that we could receive quantitative answers. For


38

example the question “What do you think would be the best way to use a church for a new

purpose?” could be posed so that the respondent could choose between different statements,

which contained different categories of church use, instead of writing freely. The positive side

to this is that respondents can consider options that they might not have thought about before.

However the negative side is that with closed questions you might bias the respondent to

answer one of the categories when this person might have written something completely

different which was not among the alternatives if allowed to answer freely.

We made questionnaires in both Dutch and English because many of the respondents were

elderly people who might not have a good understanding of English. In this way we could get

information which wouldn‟t have been available to us otherwise.

During the questionnaire we encountered several difficulties. One of them was the fact that

people didn‟t want to respond to some questions for various reasons – some didn‟t feel

comfortable talking about religion related subjects, others claimed not to have enough time.

We also had difficulties with the bad weather, which caused people to be less collaborative.

More people answered our questionnaire when the weather was sunny. We concluded that the

main questionnaire had too many questions and it would have been better if we had them in

one single page.

Some respondents were very interested in our topic. We found the most forthcoming

participants to be the ones in Oosterpoort apartment building, who happily answered our

questions. Paradoxically, we had the least support in the Oosterpoort neighborhood itself.

Background information

When searching the background information for the project again the Dutch language was an

obstacle for us. Much information related to this subject is in Dutch, since it in most cases is

regional information. Some of the group members have a limited understanding of the

language and were therefore able to read for example old newspaper articles in the Groningen

archives. Otherwise a common way for us to understand was to use Google translate which in

many cases was a useful tool.


39

Verbal information became very important in this project, since Dutch people could tell us in

English about things of which information is only given in Dutch. Also some of the

information we searched was information that isn‟t found in any register or document, for

example the amount of demolished, rebuilt and underused churches in Groningen. The best

way to find out about this information is a mixture of internet search and interviews with

residents with great regional and historical knowledge. Examples of these persons are

employees at the Groningen archives and Nieuwe kerk.

Conclusion The fact that the Netherlands is one of the most secularized countries in the world, where

church and state are completely separated – and with Groningen being, according to surveys,

the least religious part of the country – and the fact that there are a large number of churches

in Groningen, made our subject an interesting project to make. The large number of churches

and the decreasing number of religious people doesn‟t make a good match. This mismatch

opens up for new ways of thinking about the role of churches in the city and what the function

of churches should be. This line of thinking would not be possible anywhere, in many other

countries it is not thinkable to for example rebuild a church into apartments or converting it

into a library. It is indeed the Dutch culture and secularized society that makes these ideas

possible to realize.

The public opinion on new uses of church buildings is rather coherent – churches can be used

in new ways, and they can preferably be rebuilt for cultural or educational purposes, but they

should not be used for commercial purposes. This opinion reflects a common view of church

buildings as something which one should pay respect to, something which is important for the

atmosphere of the city; churches are beautiful and act as historical landmarks. However the

public opinion says that churches don‟t necessarily have to be used for religious purposes. In

short, the public opinion says: Keep the form, but change the function!

However there are mainly other aspects than public opinion which decide if a church should

be kept, and in that case what it should be used for. The most important thing is, as always, the

economic aspect. It must be economically efficient to keep or rebuild the church building.


40

Furthermore, who should pay for the new use? Public, private or even church money? This

means that there will always be a trade-off between the public opinion and the economic

aspect. If a church is to be used as e.g. a cultural centre, the decision has to be economically

defendable.

The question of old churches being or not being used in new ways is interesting, because it

reflects the development in the Dutch society. The increasing secularization meaning that the

number of church visitors will continue to decrease and the perception of religion and its

institutions changes. Urbanization meaning that Groningen will grow in the next couple of

decades, with more housing needed. This development happens every day, and will continue

so in the future – therefore the question about church use will continue to be current.

Churches in future Groningen

Through the centuries churches have been important meeting places, allowing people to

interact and feel community. In the Netherlands of today the churches are not natural meeting

places for most people, for many reasons. The Dutch society of today is highly secularized,

only a small amount of people attend church. The modern society also means that there are

dozens of other ways to communicate and dozens of other places to meet than in church.

Churches have become something like an ornament of the city, which is nice to have there,

and to visit sometimes, for most people. In short the function of church buildings has changed

dramatically, from being the natural meeting place for most people to being a place which

only a minority visit regularly and which is in the periphery of most people‟s lives.

If we would try to predict the future we would say that most probably the Netherlands will

become even more secularized; people will probably become less and less religious. However

no one can predict what the future will hold, and the case might be the opposite. But even if

Dutch people again would become more religious the religiosity would most certainly not be

in the same way as it means to be religious today. There will be other ways to meet, other

ways to worship and communicate. One thing we can know for sure about the future is that it

won‟t look the same as the past and present.


41

In other words we want to say that church buildings most probably will never get their old

function back in the future, except for a minority of them, who will keep their old function.

This being said, we think that most churches in the future will have another function. This

function might be religious, but in most cases not.

Considering the predicted growth of Groningen, with a young population in need of smaller

apartments, it is reasonable to think that more churches could be rebuilt into apartments. This

way of rebuilding is a good way to keep the form and have an economically efficient function.

Living in a church building is something that seems to attract people, so there is also a

possibility to make spectacular luxury apartments in churches.

Considering that most people think that cultural purposes would be a nice way to reuse a

church this might be a popular way of reuse. This opinion reflects the idea that churches really

is something sacred, something with dignity, which should be treated carefully. To use a

church for commercial purposes is unthinkable to many people. Churches are something

which people in general have a great deal of respect for, and we think this will be the case also

in the future.

To conclude, we predict that church buildings will be kept in the future, but that the use of

them will change – into student or luxury apartments, into schools, into cultural centers, into

theaters. All of this with respect and homage to the past.


42

Reference

1. Bible Belt (Netherlands) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt_%28Netherlands%29

(visited on 12.04.2010.);

2. De kogel door de Westerkerk, http://www.hetverhaalvangroningen.nl/story/81 (visited

on 15.04.2010.);

3. De Nieuwe Kerk, Een bruisende Protestantse Gemeente in het hart van de stad

Groningen (information booklet);

4. Groenendijk, J. (2003) Government in the Netherlands: The Culture of Politics;

5. Groningen, Oosterweg – Oosterkerk

http://reliwiki.nl/index.php?title=Groningen%2C_Oosterweg_-_Oosterkerk (visited

16.04.2010);

6. Jaarprogramma 2009-2010, information booklet;

7. KASKI annual report nr. 561, 2006 statistical overview of the roman catholic church in

the Netherlands).

8. Kilde, J.H. (2002) „When Church Became Theatre: The Transformation of Evangelical

Architecture‟, Oxford University Press, New York;

9. Knippenberg H. (2006) Historical development of the church – state relation;

10. Knippenberg H.,(2006) "The changing relationship between state and church/religion

in the Netherlands”

11. Kremers, A. (2002) „Evangelical church Spaces And Design: The Role of The

Architect‟, Calvin, located at <

http://www.calvin.edu/worship/luce/2002/kremers.php> (visited on 13.04.2010.);

12. Map: city map of Groningen, Groningen Cartografie v.o.f., (edited by M.R.);

13. Merkx+Girod Architects: Bookstore Selexyz Dominicanen in Netherlands,

http://www.designtopnews.com/interior-design/merkxgirod-architects-bookstore-

selexyz-dominicanen-in-netherlands; (visited on 12.04.2010.);

14. More Dutch Muslims are skipping the mosque,

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2314003.ece/More_Dutch_Muslims_are_skippin

g_the_mosque, (visited on 12.04.2010.);

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt_%28Netherlands%29

http://www.hetverhaalvangroningen.nl/story/81

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http://www.calvin.edu/worship/luce/2002/kremers.php

http://www.designtopnews.com/interior-design/merkxgirod-architects-bookstore-selexyz-dominicanen-in-netherlands

http://www.designtopnews.com/interior-design/merkxgirod-architects-bookstore-selexyz-dominicanen-in-netherlands

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2314003.ece/More_Dutch_Muslims_are_skipping_the_mosque

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2314003.ece/More_Dutch_Muslims_are_skipping_the_mosque

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwe_Kerk_(Groningen)


43

16. Park, Hyung Yu (2010) Heritage tourism: emotional journeys into nationhood. Annals

of Tourism Research, 37 (1). pp. 116-135;

17. Roeland, J. (2009) „Selfation: Dutch Evangelical Youth Between Subjectivization and

Subjection‟, Pallas Publications, Amsterdam;

18. Roeterdink, N. (2002) „De Domo Dei Ad Habitationis Usum – van godshuis tot

woonbestemming‟, TU Delft, Delft;

19. Schellen, H. (2002) „Heating Monumental Churches – Indoor Climate Preservation of

Cultural Heritage‟, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eindhoven;

20. Sengers, E. (2005) „The Dutch and their gods: secularisation and transformation of

religion in The Netherlands‟, Uitgeverij Veloren, Hilversum;

21. Social housing association Patrimonium website http://www.patrimonium-

groningen.nl/ (visited on 08.04.2010.);

22. Stadsgids 2009-2010;

23. Statistic, www.cbs.nl (visited on 10.04.2010.);

24. Statistical Yearbook of the Netherlands 2006, p. 43;

25. Zecc project, http://zecc.nl/Projecten? (visited on 15.04.2010.)

26. De Nieuwe Kerk, Een bruisende Protestantse Gemeente in het hart van de stad

Groningen (information booklet)

27. Jaarprogramma 2009-2010, information booklet

28. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwe_Kerk_(Groningen)

29. Map: city map of Groningen, Groningen Cartografie v.o.f., edited by Márta Rekvényi

30. Photos from the Nieuwe Kerk: From personal archive (Márta Rekvényi)

31. www.nieuwekerk.org

32. Groningen Stadskaart het kadastraal minuutplan 1832

33. Stadsgids 2009-2010

http://www.patrimonium-groningen.nl/

http://www.patrimonium-groningen.nl/

http://www.cbs.nl/

http://zecc.nl/Projecten

church buildings in groningen

Documents

future groningen

developed churches

map of churches

used churches

case studies groningen

new use of churches

growth of evangelical

visited church