Ronde Lutherse Kerk
The Ronde Lutherse Kerk, the Round Lutheran Church, is a domed former church on the Singel, built in 1668–1671 to a design by Adriaan Dortsman. It has burned twice and been rebuilt twice, and since 1975 a hotel has used it as a hall for conferences and events.
This church has burned down twice. The second time was in 1993, which is why its copper dome is brown and no longer green.
Many of the Lutherans who built it were immigrants. By the 1660s there were so many of them in Amsterdam that their church had become too small, so they built a second one here. That explains its other old name, the New Lutheran Church. It went up between 1668 and 1671 to a design by Adriaan Dortsman.
It is round, with a dome, and there is a story about why. Lutherans, it is said, were not allowed to build a church tower in Amsterdam, so they built a dome instead. On top of the dome sits a small turret called a lantern, and on top of that a swan, the emblem of the Lutherans.
On 18 September 1822 a fire left only the walls standing. The church was rebuilt between 1823 and 1826 to plans that stayed close to the old ones, though the dome was made higher. One of the two architects was Tieleman Franciscus Suys, who went on to design the Mozes en Aäronkerk on the Waterlooplein.
The Lutherans left in 1935. After that the building was used for concerts, and for a time a sailmaker worked in it. In 1975 the hotel across the street took it over as a hall, and had a tunnel dug so that its guests could reach it underground.
Then, on 3 February 1993, the dome caught fire again. The roof and the inside of the hall were destroyed. The repair took sixteen months. The new copper was left copper-coloured, and that is the dome you see.
What to look for
The swan
Look at the very top, above the little lantern. The weathervane is a swan, the emblem of the Lutherans.
The colour of the dome
Before the fire of 1993 this dome was green. The copper laid afterwards is brown.
The tunnel you cannot see
Under the street a tunnel links the church to the hotel opposite. Since 1975 hotel guests have reached the hall that way.
Key facts
- Built
- 1668–1671, by Adriaan Dortsman
- First fire
- 18 September 1822; rebuilt 1823–1826
- Second fire
- 3 February 1993; restored by June 1994
- Church until
- 1935
- Today
- Conference and events hall of a hotel, since 1975
- Address
- Kattengat 2, on the Singel, Amsterdam Directions
Close by
The bigger picture
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The dates, names and figures on this page were checked against published references. These are the records for this place. The story is Lookstory’s own telling of them. Last updated October 2026.