Keti Koti: Guided Tours
1 July 2025
Celebrate Keti Koti at the Oude Kerk with our special Keti Koti guided tour.
On Tuesday, 1 July, we celebrate Keti Koti and commemorate the abolition of slavery. The Oude Kerk is located in the heart of a city with a colonial past. This history is reflected in many aspects of the church itself. For this reason, we are organising a special programme of guided tours to reflect on this legacy.
Tour start times: 12:30, 16:00
Duration: 40 minutes
Participation: Free with a valid admission ticket to the Oude Kerk. Please register at the entrance.
Language: Dutch
Colonial History and the Oude Kerk
Since the 17th century, the Oude Kerk has been adorned in part thanks to the profits of major trading companies such as the VOC and the WIC. Among the estimated 60,000 people buried in the Oude Kerk, only one person of colour is known to us so far: Jacob Matroos Beeldsnijder. In contrast, numerous tomb monuments, gravestones, stained-glass windows, and heraldic panels belonging to various families have been preserved in the church—some of whom were closely involved in slavery and exploitation. In this way, the Oude Kerk stands as a reminder of a painful chapter in history, and this remains an ongoing subject of reflection for us. In recent years, the Oude Kerk has collaborated with several artists whose work addresses the colonial past and its ongoing impact today.