The Hofje van Bakenes or Bakenesserkamer is a hofje

Hofje

A hofje is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. They have existed since the Middle Ages.A hofje provided housing for elderly people . They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security...

 in Haarlem

Haarlem

Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, located between the Bakenessergracht and the Wijde Appelaarsteeg.

History of the foundation

The hofje was founded from the legacy of Dirck van Bakenes (or Dirc van Bakenesse) in 1395. This makes it the oldest hofje in the Netherlands. The earliest mention of it in town records is from the History of Haarlem by Samuel Ampzing

Samuel Ampzing

Samuel Ampzing was a Dutch minister, poet and purist.-Biography:Born to the minister Johannes Ampzing in Haarlem, in 1616 Samuel became a minister himself at Rijsoord in Strevelshoek, and in 1619 at the Sint-Bavokerk in Haarlem.-Beschrijvinge ende lof der stad Haerlem in Holland:In 1617, he began...

 in 1628, who claims to have copied the stichtingsbrief or letter of foundation (since lost). In the records of the Hofje van Gratie (torn down in 1960 to make way for the new wing of the Haarlem Public Library), their stichtingsbrief from 1554 claims to be governed in the same manner by the Haarlem council as the Hofje van Bakenes. Further records from the Haarlem archives show that the straw roofs were replaced by tiled ones in 1610, and a major restoration was conducted in 1657, which appears to be the proper date of the current buildings. Originally 13 houses for 20 women, one house was redesigned as a regent's room in 1663. This is also the date of the keystone with the rhyme
Ingang vant Gesticht/ van Dirck van Baekenes/ voor Vrouwen acht en/ twee mael ses

Translation:
Entrance of the foundation of Dirck van Baekenes for ladies eight and two times six

This has two meanings

m = (8 + 2) * 6 = 60 is the minimum age for ladies to be eligible for living there

n = 8 + (2 * 6) = 20 is the number of people who could live there

Address: Wijde Appelaarsteeg 11