GIETHOORN – Visitors usually know Giethoorn for its canals, bridges, reed-thatched houses and boat trips. But the village also has another side. On the Binnenpad, the Mennonite Church of Giethoorn offers a special place for anyone looking for peace, history and reflection during their visit.

At April 12 the Open Church season started again. Until the end of October, visitors are welcome to step inside, light a candle, fold a small dove of peace or simply enjoy a moment of stillness. In a village that is lively and well visited, that quiet pause can be part of the experience too.

Following its restoration, the church has once again been opened to visitors. Inside, there is a permanent exhibition about freedom of religion in the peatland region. This makes the church more than a historic building. It is also a place where part of Giethoorn’s deeper story can still be felt.

One of the oldest Mennonite congregations in the Netherlands

The Mennonite congregation of Giethoorn is one of the oldest in the Netherlands. A faith community already existed here in the 16th century. Between 1563 and 1565, Leendert Bouwens, one of the best-known Mennonite elders of his time, baptized five people in Giethoorn. It may seem a small detail, but it shows how early the Anabaptist tradition took root here. In those days, Giethoorn was, in a sense, a place of refuge for a religious minority.

Modest beauty

The current church building dates from 1871 and is a listed national monument. With its round-arched windows, small tower and restrained design, it reflects the modest architectural style traditionally associated with Mennonite places of worship. That simplicity is exactly what gives the building its quiet strength.

Above the entrance is an inscription that still captures the spirit of the place: “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” It says in one sentence what the building expresses in brick and light. Inside stands an organ with a history of its own. It was built in 1911 by organ builder Jan Proper from Kampen and, after a later major restoration, was brought back into use in 1988.

A different way to experience Giethoorn

Anyone who sees Giethoorn only as a picture of canals and bridges misses an important layer of the village. The Mennonite Church reveals something of its spiritual and social history, quietly and without display. For that reason alone, it is well worth stepping inside if you are passing along the Binnenpad between April and the end of October. For peace. For reflection. Or simply out of curiosity.