Dutch Reformed Church Tower, Leiden — Brick and Timber Belfry

29 April 2025 · Leiden walk towards, in and around Burcht

Leiden's Hooglandse Kerk tower reads as two buildings stacked into one: warm red brick at the base, weathered grey timber cladding above it, a gold-handed clock face marking the seam between them. The upward angle pushes the belfry against a hard summer blue, a contrail cutting the sky to the right. Brick and timber, century on century — the material shift is the architecture's honest record of its own history.