Westerkerk Church Leeuwarden

The Westerkerk literally and figuratively offers space for stories. From October 2019, the former church - a monumental building that has had many faces - will be the place in the city centre of Leeuwarden where hearing and being heard are the focus. Our current, diverse society requires an open dialogue in a safe environment. You are welcome in the Westerkerk and everything is open to discussion, whether in the form of performances, lectures, concerts, workshops or a public debate.

Behind the thick stone walls of the Westerkerk is a meeting place for people and stories. The doors are open to artists and politicians, local residents and foreign guests, children and the elderly: anyone who has an eye for others and is inspired by new, strange or simply very clear insights is welcome.

The building, which has a surprisingly intimate atmosphere and fantastic acoustics, is once again being fully used. Administrators Anne Madrid Y Lopez and Johan de Vries have a clear goal in mind: they want to preserve the church for the city, its inhabitants and its culture. At the same time, they want to open up the local culture to the outside world and bring that outside world in. Human contact, listening to each other's stories, making the strange normal and vice versa: this is reflected in everything there is to do and experience in the Westerkerk.