West Church

The Westertoren of the Westerkerk was used in the 1920s as a laboratory for high-pressure measurements, by the Dutch physicist Michels. The walls of the Westertoren are so thick that they have a very insulating effect on temperature. It takes 3 months for the temperature changes outside to be felt inside.

Scientist Michels installed a thirty-meter high mercury column that could be used as a calibration instrument. Despite organizational and financial problems, he managed to bring the project to a successful conclusion. One of the issues they faced with this setup was the movement of the tower. Michels climbed into the tower to accurately determine how strong this movement was during strong winds and concluded that it could sway up to 3 cm back and forth.

After 1945, this calibration barometer was moved to the Roeterseiland. Today, there is nothing left of this setup, but you can still climb the tower.

Dromos