Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (The Tower of Our Lady)

One can’t help but marvel at the tower of Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (The Tower of Our Lady). Standing at a staggering 98.33 meters (322 feet), it looms high above Amersfoort. Indeed, you may see it sometimes peeking above buildings as you take a walk around the city. 

Completed in approximately 1470, the tower wasn’t always alone. As you walk through Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, you may see where the foundations of the original church once stood, marked into the square. (The church that belonged to the tower was destroyed in the 18th century after a gunpowder explosion.) 

At the base of the tower, you can find the original middle point of the Dutch grid reference, the coordinate system used by the country’s geographical service. This grid system was originally set up between 1885 and 1904, but an update in the mid-20th century adjusted the zero point to a new location southwest of the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren.