The Wilhelminakerk, named after
queen Wilhelmina whose inauguration was at the very same day work on
this church started, is one of only a few designs by Tjeerd Kuipers
which is based on the ideas of Abraham Kuyper, the leading figure of
the Gereformeerden, who firmly believed in a centralized interior with
a good view at the pulpit for all. Kuipers designed a front with two
towers of different sizes, with in between a wide facade that was
richly decorated with shapes derived from Romanesque architecture. For
this reason the church is often called neo-Romanesque, although the
execution of it is closer to neo-Gothicism. A few elements, especially
the towers, hint at the Rationalistic
direction Kuipers would soon adopt for most of his churches. A similar
combination of styles was used on Kuipers' Zuiderkerk in Groningen in
1901. |
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