Ransdorp is only a bike’s tour away from the city centre of Amsterdam. Yet this village has a very rural atmosphere.

Ransdorp is a sleepy little village surrounded by farms and meadows, cows and sheep. But in the 15th century, Ransdorp made a fortune with shipping and trade. It was so rich that it could afford a big church.

This massive 16th century gothic church still is the most remarkable building of Waterland. It looks a size too large for a village as small as this. It’s visible for miles and wherever you are in Waterland, it stands like a massive ship in the landscape. For centuries it was even used as a reference point for the shipmen on the sea.

Church of Ransdorp

The church was sketched by Rembrandt van Rijn, one of Holland’s most famous painters. Ransdorp was the birthplace of his second wife, Geertje Dircx. It wasn’t a happy marriage. The two argued all the time and harassed each other with legal processes. By bribing her brother Rembrandt managed to lock her up in a house of correction for a few years.

The church tower is as flat as the landscape of Waterland. That’s because the builders ran out of funds at the end, so they had no money for a nice church spire. In summertime you can climb all the way to the top, with an excellent view over Waterland as a reward. Besides a big church, Ransdorp also houses the smallest draw bridge of Amsterdam. In Waterland, we have large and small next to each other.