The historic Vondelkerk church in Amsterdam burned down on New Year's Eve

On New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam, a large-scale fire broke out in the historic Vondelkerk Church, built in the 19th century. The fire completely engulfed the building and its steeple collapsed, causing «irreparable damage» to one of Amsterdam’s most valuable national monuments.

According to Espreso.tv, the incident occurred on the night of Thursday, January 1, 2026. According to a source citing the Lokmak Times, the fire started on the roof of a historic building located on Vondelstraat Street in the Dutch capital and very quickly spread to the entire structure.

The first calls to emergency services came in around 00:45 when residents in the neighborhood noticed flames above the historic church. Due to the rapid spread of the fire, Amsterdam activated emergency response mode GRIP 2 at around 1:24 a.m., which involves high-level regional services.

The fire engulfed the steeple of the church, which subsequently collapsed completely inside the building around 2:30am. Official reports confirmed that the historic Vondelkerk tower collapsed completely in the center of the structure, causing irreparable damage to one of Amsterdam’s most valuable national monuments.

As of the morning of January 1, firefighters were continuing firefighting efforts and assessing structural stability. The causes of the fire have not been officially determined, an investigation is underway. Among the possible versions are malfunctions of old electrical grids or heating systems.

Vondelkerk Church was built in 1872 according to the project of the famous Dutch architect Pierre Joseph Hubert Capers, the author of the Royal Museum and the Central Station of Amsterdam. The building is a striking example of neo-Gothic architecture and for decades served not only religious but also cultural functions.

This is not the first serious disaster in the history of the temple: in 1904, lightning had already destroyed its spire, which was later rebuilt. However, the current destruction the authorities call critical.

Recall, earlier we reported that in France every two weeks disappears one Christian religious building due to demolitions, fires, collapses and acts of vandalism. According to a study by the Observatory of Religious Heritage (OPR), the country is facing a systemic problem of loss of its cultural and spiritual patrimony, exacerbated by insufficient funding and an increase in the number of deliberate attacks.