A carillon with 43 bells, one of the oldest tower clocks in the Netherlands and of course an overwhelming view over De Rijp. According to Fré Harmsen of the Carillon De Rijp foundation, there is plenty to do in the church tower of the village. The foundation therefore wants to open the tower to the public. “It is not for people with a fear of heights, but really worth it,” says Harmsen.
The desire for the tower climb has existed since the bells of the carillon were hoisted into the church in 2019. “A lot of people have paid for the bells and then it’s so nice if they can also admire the carillon. You also hear in the village that there is a lot of demand for it,” says Harmsen.
The tower climb is not new, people used to be able to go up. For safety reasons, the then municipality of Graft-De Rijp locked the tower. The municipality of Alkmaar is happy with it, provided that measures are taken to make the climb safer. This concerns, for example, lighting and handrails.
Tourist attraction
And to realize that, money is also needed. In 2019, alderman Van de Ven promised 50,000 euros. Harmsen: “We have always kept in touch and we will soon be meeting with the municipality again. We actually wanted to open the tower this season, but that will have to wait a while.”
The tower climb as a tourist attraction? Jaap Smit of the local tourist office doesn’t see it happening anytime soon. “It’s a nice idea, but you need volunteers to go with visitors and they probably aren’t there. We just installed a webcam so people can also enjoy the view. That webcam is now broken.”
It is a bit of a crawl-by-sneak-by, but after some steep ladders and 114 steps you are still on the balcony of the Grote Kerk in De Rijp. And that’s not for the faint hearted. “We have to make this fence more secure so people don’t fall down, but the view is great.”
NH climbed the church tower with Fré Harmsen and viewed all the highlights. Enjoy this climb via the video below.