St Eusebius' Church, Arnhem

St. Eusebius church
Church tower
Style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1450
Completed	1550 / 1964
Height (max)	93 m (305.12 ft)
Designated as NHL	Dutch rijksmonument #8336 / #8337

St. Eusebius church also known as the Eusebiuskerk or the Grote Kerk, at 93 metres is the largest

. ^[1]

Notably the building contains an elevator that was added to the church in 1994, which allows visitors to travel to the top of the spire and view the city of Arnhem from its highest point. More intriguing perhaps, visitors can also enter the crypt at the rear of the church which contains a number of full skeletons lying in state, in the darkness of the church's crypt.

Initial construction

On the site of the present building initially stood a church dedicated to

World War II damage

The church was extensively damaged during the

Later the tower, weakened by the fire, collapsed entirely.

Rebuilding

Following the war the church was restored between 1946 and 1961

of architecture.

The church is used for occasional religious services but is mainly a tourist attraction, specifically commemorating the bravery of the paratroopers of the Allied forces who attempted to isolate the Germans by capturing the bridge across the river Nederrijn.^[1]

In 1994^[3] the municipality of Arnhem commissioned an elevator to be placed in the church tower. Visitors can pay a small fee and ride up the elevator past all of the array of bell and into the loft of the church, from where tourist binoculars or the naked eye can be used to survey a 360 degree view of the surrounding city.

Visitors can also take the final few steps inside the spire to climb to the very point of the tower. The church organ is still prominent and in good working order, and the church itself contains a number of items of interest and commemorative paraphernalia.

Human remains

Visitors to the church are also able to enter the crypt below the building. This part of the building has only very dim light in a central part. By carefully exploring a number of darkened cavernous areas, most of which are either barred as if being a part of old

cells, or in some cases as clearly exhumed shallow graves, the visitor can find ancient human bones which have been left in the state of their burial or death.

Gallery

• 
  Church in 1884, Painting: Der Markt in Arnhem
• 
  Inside spire.
• 
  Roof of the final few steps towards the top of spire.
• 
  Main organ
• 
  Detail on the outside of the building.
• 
  Various corners of the building.
• 
  Dwarf gargoyles on the outside of the building
• 
  The lift inside the church tower

Observation deck

Since 2018, the St Eusebius' Church has two glass observation balconies at a height of 59 and 62 meters ^[4]

• 
  Exterior view
• 
  View from the observation balcony

See also

• List of tallest structures built before the 20th century

References