Museum Speelklok celebrates 40 years in Utrecht’s Buurkerk
This year marks 40 years since Museum Speelklok moved into the medieval Buurkerk in Utrecht. The museum is celebrating this milestone with a new web application featuring many stories about the history of the church and historical images.
Stories through the ages
To commemorate the long history of the Buurkerk, students from Leiden University developed a special web application. This can be found at buurkerk.museumspeelklok.nl. Here you can read and see how the church has often changed over the centuries and survived fires, storms and wars. Because the Buurkerk was located in the middle of the bustling commercial centre of Utrecht, traffic even drove straight through the church in the 16th century.
The special, often hidden frescoes of the church are also highlighted. In addition, everyone can send their own personal memories of the church to the museum, so that the museum can share them on the website. In the museum itself, QR codes have been placed in various rooms so that visitors can delve into the stories on the spot.
The history of the Buurkerk
The Buurkerk was founded around the year 1000 and was intended for the ordinary residents of the city and not, like most other churches, only for clergy. Services, commemorations and weddings took place there until well into the 20th century. The Buurkerk was also the place where Sister Bertken was locked up; she lived in the vault on the side of the Choorstraat for 57 years until her death in 1514.
In 1984, Museum Speelklok moved to the Buurkerk and was officially opened by Queen Beatrix. Before that, the museum, founded in 1956, was housed in a wing of the current Museum Catharijneconvent and at Achter de Dom.
Guided tours on Open Monument Day
On Saturday 14 September on Open Monument Day, there will be special guided tours of the Buurkerk. A free guided tour starts every hour between 12:00 and 16:00 in the museum café.
In addition to the Buurkerk, the Restoration Workshop of Museum Speelklok at the Lichte Gaard can also be visited between 12:00 and 16:00. This is where the museum’s historic music machines are restored and kept working. This location is normally not accessible to the public. Visitors who want to visit the museum after the guided tours can buy a ticket at the ticket office.