Middelburg (Z): Kloosterkerk The Kloosterkerk ('monastery church') consists of three different parts; Koorkerk ('choir church'), Nieuwe Kerk ('new church') and the Wandelkerk ('walking church'). In the case of the Kloosterkerk there are two religious parts. The Koorkerk is the oldest and is the original church of the monastery. It was built in ca. 1300 and has a one-aisled nave and a choir with a five-sided closure. The vaults date from the second half of the 16th century. The Nieuwe Kerk was built as a parish church. It's a two-aisled building with wooden barrel-vaults. Its interior is spoiled in a horrible way by emptiness and chairs that are perfectly suitable for a canteen but hardly for a church. Originally it was directly connected to the Koorkerk, but now the Wandelkerk seperates them. The Wandelkerk essentially is the part below the tower which used to belong to the Koorkerk. Its name reminds of a use of parts of many churches after the Reformation; people made short walks in them, as if it were a park. A very social function, while protestant services were held in a different part of the church, which was often closed by a wall. In this case it's a curtain. The tower dominates Middelburg and in fact much of the island of Walcheren. It's height of 85 metres tall owes it its nickname of Lange Jan ('long John'). It probably dates from the second half of the 14th century. The octagonal ground-plan is unusual, and it's probably no coincidence that the tower of the Great Church in Den Haag, which had close ties to the abbey, has a similar shape. The location next to the choir is also a bit strange. In 1940 the tower was severely damaged and the reconstruction after the war was differs slightly from the original. On top is a copy of the spire from 18th century.

Tower

Koorkerk

Nieuwe Kerk

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