Lutheran Mission Church - Haarlem

For the first five years Prietsch held his services in a small and unsuitable building, which in 1865 was replaced with a larger one which was also used as a school and is still standing. In 1876 bad health obliged Prietsch to return to Germany. He was succeeded by Howe, who started building the present church the following year, which was completed in 1880.

It is one of the most picturesque of the mission churches, and represents the perfect marriage of Gothic and Revival forms with the local vernacular. It is to this day the best preserves and least altered.

The body of the church has the plan of a Latin cross, with a thatch roof and straight-end gables. The tall, slender gothic windows and diagonal buttresses on all sides give the church a magical appearance. At the head of the longer extension of the cross stands a tower going up three storeys. The church has yellow walls with window surrounds, cills and corners painted white. It stands firm and mighty on a stone terrace levelling out the sloping ground towards the street.

The interior in all its grandeur still contains most of its original furniture, including stinkwood and yellow wood pews; a pulpit attached to the front corner and the organ, dating back to 1882, made by Stettin Grunberg.

The vaulted ceiling and floors are still of their original yellowwood construction.

The church was declared a national monument on the 26 May 1978 th and celebrated its 150 Anniversary in 2010. (Hans Fransen)