Open Monument Day 2025: Heritage & Architecture, Building(d) to stay (3)
Have you already chosen the municipalities you will visit on Saturday and Sunday? It doesn't have to be the same municipality, but do opt for diversity, for example The Hague and Deventer or Groningen and Zwolle. There is so much to see this weekend, too much to mention. Therefore, at the request of blog readers, here are four more municipalities with old monuments.
Deventer (51 buildings, Saturday and Sunday)
On Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, over 50 monuments in the municipality of Deventer will be open to the public from 10:00 AM to 17:00 PM. These days offer the ultimate opportunity to take a look behind the beautiful monumental facades of Deventer. There is plenty to see and experience in the historic city center and beyond, for both young and old.
The kick-off of the 24th edition of National Organ Day takes place in Deventer this year. Mayor Ron König will hold the Great or Lebuinus Church the opening remarks. Visitors are welcome from 10:30 AM. The organ walk follows immediately.
Especially for children, a scavenger hunt is available at the information point for Museum De WaagA small surprise awaits you there afterwards. Join various walking tours organized by Architectuurcentrum Rondeel, Archeologie Deventer, Vogeleiland, and Stichting IJssellandschap.
On Sunday, September 14, 2025, the Brickmasters building competition will take place on the Brink. Children can create a unique structure in a short time using a pile of building blocks. The structures will be judged on originality and creativity. The winner will receive a trophy. All participants will receive a Brickmaster diploma. In intimate theatre wagons, you can enjoy short performances by talented creators from Deventer and the surrounding area. Each performance is unique. The performances have been created in collaboration with cultural partners from the city.
During the weekend, free walking maps are available at monuments and the information point. Open Monument Day Deventer is organized by heritage organization Deventer Verhaal, in collaboration with the Municipality of Deventer, NV Bergkwartier, and Open Monument Day/Nederland Monumentenland.
Amsterdam (50 buildings, Saturday and Sunday)
It is a celebration during Open Monument Day and Night in Amsterdam. On September 13 and 14, 50 monuments open their doors. Monuments where Amsterdammers celebrate, dine together, and make memories. Past and present. This 39th edition is extra festive because Amsterdam its 750celebrates its 5th anniversary. Therefore, the program on Saturday continues into the late hours. A program where, in addition to a visit to special monuments, there is plenty to experience and discover.
Below are a number of highlights from the varied program:
- Step inside Bas Kosters and other creative studios in the NDSM Loods in North.
- Experience the golden hour with a beautiful view of the city from the Metz & Co dome, designed by Rietveld.
- Let Night Mayor Freek Wallagh take you on a tour of the city's most iconic clubs.
- Climb the 46-meter-high Marathon Tower, where in 1928 the first Olympic Flame became inflamed.
- Listen to writer and journalist Tatjana Almuli in Huis met de Neuzen.
- Discover everything about fermentation at the microbe party at Mediamatic.
- Dancing during the silent disco at Arti et Amicitiae.
- Join the Ajax Pub Quiz at De Bazel in honor of the 125th anniversary of Ajax.
- Discover Gemaal Zeeburg, which opens its doors to visitors for the first time.
- Take a look behind the scenes of the Kesbeke empire.
Oegstgeest (13 buildings, Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
In Oegstgeest, the Open Monument Days Oegstgeest committee was founded in 2011 as the Osger Support Foundation and is therefore celebrating its 15th anniversary. All the more reason for our team to go all out this year. This year, five districts and their associated neighborhoods in Oegstgeest take center stage, with the emphasis, due to the annual theme, on architecture. Highlights are featured in the free Open Monument Days booklet and/or are accessible to the public. “The intention is for the residents of Oegstgeest to view their neighborhood with different eyes due to the attention paid particularly to architecture; in this way, the building in your neighborhood that you regularly walk past gains an extra dimension,” according to the committee. Together with involved parties, the board is enthusiastically working on inspiring days in Oegstgeest.
The Open Monuments Weekend starts on Friday evening, September 12, 2025, with the concert by the Rijnstreek Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Tempelaars in the Green or Willibrord Church, starting at 19 PM.
Schiedam (61 buildings, Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
In 2025, the year Schiedam celebrates its 750th anniversary, Open Monument Day is extra special. Schiedam is the host city for the national opening of the Open Monument Days on Friday evening, September 12 (see the link at the bottom of the blog for the full program of the opening featuring Open Monument Day ambassador Janny van der Heijden together with Mayor Harald Bergmann of Schiedam and a spectacular start by Ellen ten Damme) and has a record number of monuments open to visitors over the weekend!
The historic centre of Schiedam lies just a stone's throw from Rotterdam. This city, with approximately 80.000 inhabitants, is rich in monuments. No fewer than 200 buildings have been designated as national monuments. Add to that the 300 municipal monuments, and you will understand that there is plenty to experience in Schiedam every year during the Open Monument Days. This year, 61 buildings are participating in the Open Monument Days, most of which can be found within walking distance of each other.
The offerings are very diverse, ranging from the ruins of Huis te Riviere, a 13th-century castle commissioned by Aleida van Holland, to the grounds of the Glass Factory, which closed in 2017. Lovers of religious heritage will certainly find plenty to enjoy. For instance, you can visit the Neo-Gothic Liduina Basilica, the imposing Havenkerk with its Neo-Baroque interior, or the historic Roman Catholic cemetery. However, the less conspicuous prayer room of the Reformed Church (Hersteld Hervormde) or the Old Catholic Huis te Poort are also well worth a visit.
Schiedam excels in industrial heritage, largely linked to the city's gin-producing past. Think of the Sack Carriers' House, various breweries and distilleries, but also the soda factory and, of course, the many windmills. In addition to the permanent locations, there is a changing selection of buildings open to the public each year, including residential homes and commercial spaces that usually remain closed to the public.
<strong> More info: </strong>
Open Monument Day 2025: https://www.openmonumentendag.nl/ OMD Deventer: https://openmonumentendagdeventer.nl/ OMD Deventer walking map: https://openmonumentendagdeventer.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/OMD-Wandelkaart-2025.pdf OMD Amsterdam: https://www.amsterdam.nl/nieuws/evenementen-herdenkingen/open-monumentendag-nacht-2025/ https://www.openmonumentendag.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Programmaflyer-OMD-2025.pdf OMD Oegstgeest: https://www.osger.nl/
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