Second Attempt: Der Aa-kerk

After my visit to the Martinikerk (see previous post), it would be logical to visit the second (if not the first) most famous tourist attraction - Der Aa-kerk.

Source: Wikipedia

Originally designed as a chapel in 1200 (older than Martinikerk (1225) by the way), Der Aa-kerk became one of the largest churches in the province. It would not be an exaggeration (at least for me) to say that the tower of the church is the most recognisable landmark in the city due to its impressive height and unique design that features the unusual colouring (distinguishable from the rest of the building). To be honest, it helped a lot to not get lost completely orient myself in the city during first year.

Source: protestantsecultuurschatten.nl

The interior of Der Aa-kerk gave the same feeling as in the case of Martinikerk. They share the same design style, although there were some differences. For example, unlike Martinikerk, it can be seen that  brighter colours (white especially)  are preferred in the design of Aa-kerk.

Organ, similar to that in Martinikerk.
Source: pintererst.com

Alas, just as it happened with Martinikerk, Aa-kerk also lost its initial purpose. Moreover, if, on one hand, Martinikerk holds some Sunday services and special religious ceremonies from time to time, Aa-kerk has lost its religious functions entirely.
Regardless of how disappointingly it may sound for a religious tourist or a person who is fascinated with religions in general, the church does not provide any of  religious services anymore while, instead, being rented out for concerts, weddings, exhibitions etc. (even for late night picnics inside!).

One may ask: 'Is it really so necessary to have an authentic experience from visiting an event/place/community?'. From the standpoint of tourist studies, the presence of authenticity is one the main drivers of tourism. It was claimed that one of the reasons for a person to travel and become a tourist is a constant search for authenticity  in our superficial world (MacCannell, 1973). This theory is known as the Quest for Authenticity. For me, personally, it is important to have an experience that is as authentic as possible, since these are my first (literally) impressions of Europe.

References:
MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American journal of Sociology, 589-603.