Fire hits historic church in Amsterdam during New Year’s Eve

A large fire hit the Vondelkerk, a historic church located near Vondelpark, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the early hours of the New Year, this Thursday (1st). According to the Reuters agency and local media NOS, the fire started shortly before 1 am (9 pm on Wednesday, Brasília time), in the upper part of the building and advanced through the tower, which suffered a partial collapse, causing concern among residents and visitors who were in the region. Due to falling burning debris, authorities evacuated dozens of homes in the immediate area. So far, there are no reports of injuries. The causes of the fire are still being investigated. Centennial church Built in 1872, the Vondelkerk — also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — was for decades an important place of Catholic worship in the city. See the videos that are trending on g1 See the videos that are trending on g1 Around a hundred years later, with the advance of secularization, the building fell into a state of abandonment and was even at risk of demolition. In 1980, a foundation was created to save the church from degradation. The initiative allowed the restoration of the building and gave a new use to the space, which today hosts events and houses commercial areas, a model that helps fund the conservation of the site. The Vondelkerk is cross-shaped and neo-Gothic in style, and was designed by Pierre Cuypers, a very important architect in the Netherlands, also responsible for famous buildings such as Amsterdam Central Station and the Rijksmuseum. The name of the church honors the poet Joost van den Vondel. The building was part of a larger project designed by Cuypers for the region. Fire hits historic Vondelkerk church in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve

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