St. Bavo's Church

This colossal structure smack in the middle of Haarlem was first built as a Catholic church in 1245. By 1559 the building had been enlarged several times and was finally consecrated as a cathedral. However, this happened during the Reformation and St. Bavo’s Church was confiscated by the Protestants only 19 years later. The Iconoclastic Fury of 1566 resulted in the destruction of most of the interior, but soon after it was gorgeously repainted and this is still visible today. Inside the church you can also see the graves of some famous Haarlemmers like Frans Hals and Jacob van Ruisdael. That said, the church’s prime highlight is the enormous Müller organ, which almost completely occupies the eastern wall. The organ is nearly 30m high, dates from 1738 and was once played by Händel and a 10-year-old Mozart in 1766. Every Saturday at 14:30 you can join a guided tour of the church and if you’re lucky someone might be playing the organ while you're there.