Koepelkerk Sappemeer
Sappemeer's Koepelkerk was built in 1655, as one of the first churches in Groningen for Protestant service. As one of the oldest witnesses to the origins of Sappemeer, the church holds a special place in history.
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The Groninger peat areas had belonged to the city of Groningen since 1613, including the area around the Sap Lake. Due to the great need for fuel during the Eighty Years' War, the peat extraction industry became an important source of income for 'the city' and a flourishing trade in peat developed. People came to this area from far and wide, because there was work here! These people were expected to go to church every week, which is why city architect Coenraed Roelfs was commissioned to build this octagonal church with a copper dome roof in 1653.
After construction, the domed roof structure was found to be not be...
The Groninger peat areas had belonged to the city of Groningen since 1613, including the area around the Sap Lake. Due to the great need for fuel during the Eighty Years' War, the peat extraction industry became an important source of income for 'the city' and a flourishing trade in peat developed. People came to this area from far and wide, because there was work here! These people were expected to go to church every week, which is why city architect Coenraed Roelfs was commissioned to build this octagonal church with a copper dome roof in 1653.
After construction, the domed roof structure proved unable to withstand the action of the heavy bell in the lantern on the roof. So at the end of the church path, they built a detached bell tower in which the 577-pound bell was hung. Today, the church is used for concerts and performances.
The Koepelkerk is located on the walking route 'In the footsteps of Aletta Jacobs'. In her time, Sappemeer had a synagogue, a Catholic, a Baptist and a Reformed church within walking distance of each other. Because there is a lot of employment around Sappemeer, new residents come from all sides, and the boatmen who call at Sappemeer have also seen a lot of the world. Thus Sappemeer becomes a place for tolerance and freethinkers where all faiths can co-exist.