Oostkerk Middelburg

The Ostkirche (Oostkerk) in Middelburg is an octagonal domed church built in the years 1664 - 1667.
It was built after the Reformation as one of the first large churches in the Netherlands for Reformed worship.

The Oostkerk is a Protestant, octagonal, baroque domed church in Middelburg. The church is a national monument. Construction lasted from 1648 to 1667 and was the first church in Middelburg to be specially built for Protestant worship. The last service was held in the church on January 6, 2017.

The Oostkerk was the first church that the Middelburg Protestants built for themselves; Catholic churches were usually confiscated, but such a church was not available in the new eastern part of Middelburg.
The population of Middelburg had to pay for the construction of the church through an extra tax on wine and beer. However, the inhabitants opposed this tax and the city council decided to reverse the measure and ask for a voluntary contribution from the citizens of Middelburg. However, this contribution yielded too little and so the additional tax was reintroduced.After playing an important role in the lives of many people personally and in the city of Middelburg for 350 years, the Oostkerk will be closed for church use on January 8, 2017. The Protestant Municipality of Middelburg has come to this decision with pain in its heart. The district municipality of Oostkerk has merged with the district municipalities of Morgenster, Centrum, Hoeksteen and Hofpleinkerk into the Nieuwe Kerkgemeente.More info at zeeland.com/nl-nl/visit/536_nl/oostkerk