Twice a year, I get up early to visit the church in my neighborhood, the Kloosterkerk. Not for religious reasons, but because I don’t want to miss their fantastic second-hand fair. I just love to roam around the church, hoping to find something special.

The history of this church goes back to the 15th century, when a convent (a ‘klooster’) was built in this location. The convent is long gone, but the church remains, although it was destroyed and rebuilt a few times. The church enjoys some fame in The Hague. This is the church that our former queen, Beatrix, used to attend. The church is also well known for its Bach services. Every last Sunday of the month a Bach cantate is performed during mass.

A few years ago, when visiting the church, I made a charming discovery. It turns out, Daniel Fahrenheit, inventor of the mercury thermometer, was buried here. Apparently, Fahrenheit, originally born in Germany, lived in The Hague for most of his life. It’s amazing that hardly anyone knows about this. A little bronze plaque in the church hallway and a street with his name are the only reminders he used to live here. In my opinion, he deserves more than just this little monument. After all: Fahrenheit also invented a temperature scale that’s still used in the United States.

The Kloosterkerk is open to visitors in spring and summer. The bronze plaque can be found on the left wall of the hallway.