Westerkerk

Look up at the Westerkerk. Its tower, the Westertoren, is the tallest in Amsterdam and one of the silhouettes every local recognises. At the very top gleams a blue, red and gold crown.

1A church for the new city

The church was built between 1620 and 1631, at the height of the canal expansion, to a design by Hendrick de Keyser, who died before seeing it finished and was succeeded by his son Pieter. It was the largest church built for Protestant worship in the Netherlands. At first it did not even have an organ, because the Calvinists of the time distrusted instrumental music in worship.

The crown on the tower recalls a privilege: in 1489, Maximilian of Austria allowed Amsterdam to use the imperial crown in its coat of arms, in gratitude for the city's support.

2The grave nobody can find

Rembrandt was buried here in October 1669, poor and in a rented grave. Nobody knows today exactly where his remains lie; a plaque on the north wall commemorates him. His son Titus and his companion Hendrickje Stoffels are also buried here.

The carillon you hear is the same one Anne Frank listened to from her hiding place and mentioned in her diary.

3What to look out for

• The imperial crown at the top of the tower.
• The statue of Anne Frank by Mari Andriessen, on the Westermarkt.
• The Homomonument, three pink granite triangles by the canal, one of the first monuments in the world dedicated to persecuted gay and lesbian people, unveiled in 1987.