Grote Kerk Westzaan

The foundation stone for the Great Church was laid on 10 May 1740. The construction, which took over a year, culminated in a solemn dedication on 16 July 1741. The architect was master Jan van der Streng, who was also a masonry contractor. He came from Amsterdam.

The church, immediately intended for Reformed (reformed) worship, was built against the Gothic tower dating from around 1300. This tower adjoined a sizeable church dedicated to St George, which, however, was destroyed by the Spaniards in 1573. The tower was preserved until 1 January 1843. On that date, it collapsed, presumably due to the lowering of the polder level, affecting the foundation. A dwelling, housing a family of eight, was destroyed in the process, while the orphanage adjacent to it suffered heavy damage.In 1866, following an action among the citizenry, the Church was offered an organ. The builder was Flaes and Brünjer in Amsterdam.

After several partial restorations in the 1920s and 1930s, the church was completely restored in 1967 to 1970 under the direction of architect Schipper of Zaandam. This included changes to the 18th-century furnishings. To make the building more usable, the pews in the side aisles were removed and sold. The resulting space was used for exhibitions during several summers. Also during the restoration, a new meeting room was built between the south and west arm of the church.

The choir organ was purchased in 1978 on the initiative of members of the congregation from the Dutch Reformed Church on Hazepad in Zaandam, destined for demolition. The original year of construction is 1956. However, the parts used are of older date. The 4 candle crowns and the other brass interior pieces are 17th-century and originate from a partly wooden church, which replaced the Sint Joriskerk before the present church.

The pulpit and the cantor's reading desk, before the restoration part of the elders' benches arranged around the pulpit, are from 18th century. Below the pulpit is a pelican with young, an ancient Christian symbol.

Built at the same time as the church, the consistory room is between the North and West arms of the church in which, among other things, there are records of the tower before and after its fall in 1843. The dimensions of the tower are reflected in the 1970 constructed square in front of the church entrance.

Kestrel

In the early 1990s, a major theatre show was staged in the Great Church. Before the tower fell, there had long been discussions about the poor condition of the medieval tower. (13th or 14th century ) A fence had already been erected around the church to ensure that the debris did not fall on the heads of church visitors. In 1842, the church council wrote that the worst was to be feared.

On 1 January, New Year's Day 1843 at half past five in the morning, the tower fell with disastrous consequences. The gardeners' family Engel Henneman,he and his wife, five children and the servant Jan Smak were killed. The last victims the three daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 were not found until 29 January. The ruin attracted many interested parties. There is talk of 20,000 disaster tourists. The nearby catering business must have sailed with them.

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The Historical Society Westzaan organises several Historical Walks through Westzaan