We had a pleasant train trip to Haarlem and while our hotel room was being prepared we walked to the Spaarne River to enjoy the view and to take a canal cruise.
After the cruise we visited the home of Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie was a Dutch Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Because of the number of people using their house, the family built a secret room, in case a raid took place. They decided to build it in ten Boom's bedroom. The secret room was about 30 inches (76 cm) deep, the size of a medium wardrobe. A ventilation system allowed for breathing. To enter the secret room, a person had to open a sliding panel in the plastered brick wall under a bottom bookshelf and crawl in on hands and knees.When the Nazis raided the ten Boom house in 1944, six people were using the hiding place to evade detection. Read more about her amazing story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom
The next morning we visted The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk, which is a Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square. The term "Catholic" was never really associated with this church, since it was only consecrated as a cathedral in 1559, which was already in the middle of the period known as the Protestant Reformation. The church was confiscated only 19 years later during the Haarlemse noon in 1578, when it was converted to Protestantism.
The organ of the Sint-Bavo church (the Christiaan Muller organ) is one of the world's most historically important organs. It was built by the Amsterdam organ builder Christian Muller, with stucco decorations by the Amsterdam artist Jan van Logteren, between 1735 and 1738. Upon completion it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-feet pedal-towers.
Many famous musicians played this organ, including Mendelssohn, Handel and the 10-year old Mozart, who played it in 1766. The organ was modified a number of times in the 19th and 20th century and most drastically altered in the renovation by Marcussen between 1959 and 1961. Further voicing work was undertaken between 1987 and 2000.
Don was fortunate enough to be able to join a group of about a dozen organ enthusiasts who were allowed to go up to the organ loft with the organist and listen and watch as he played a half-hour concert. The position of the organ loft is noted in the second photo of the gallery. It is behind this rank of pipes.
Tomorrow we go to the Frans Hals Museum.