Hofje van Willem Heythuijsen
Encyclopedia
The Hofje van Willem Heythuijsen is a hofje
in Haarlem
, Netherlands
. It was founded in 1650 by the testament of Willem van Heythuijsen (sometimes spelled Heythuysen) on the site of his summer residence outside the city walls of Haarlem on land that was considered Heemstede
property until it was annexed in 1927. It is one of the few hofjes of Haarlem to be built outside the city walls. It has a 'T' shape and has a small open courtyard and a garden still intact.
, a small city in Dutch Limburg
that borders the town of Heythuysen. He was a successful cloth merchant of Haarlem who lived on the Oude Gracht (now called Gedempte Oude Gracht). Like many other merchants of Haarlem, he owned a summer house with a garden facing the Spaarne river, outside the city walls. adjacent to the Haarlemmerhout
park. He was known as an easygoing bachelor who enjoyed a joke. The keystone above the door of his home hangs behind the Frans Hals Museum
today and shows the legend of The Ray-stabbers of Weert, which tells of a load of fish from Zandvoort
brought to Weert. One of the fish fell off the cart, and it was a white stingray
that a man found and claimed it was a ghost. It was brought to the city hall of Weert where the guard was called out to stab it. This caused quite a commotion before the fish-seller could reassure the people that it was just a fish. The legend probably served to assure people of Haarlem that fish from the sea could be shipped as far as Weert without spoiling, but it is possible also that it is a play on words, since rog is the same word in Dutch for rye bread and stingray.
painted him several times, and one of these portraits hung in this hofje for centuries. It was sold by the hofje regents in 1869 by public auction
in Paris and was acquired the following year by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
in Brussels. Recently, it was determined that this picture was actually a copy made circa 1650 by the artist himself of his original, which he had executed in the mid-1630's. This latter painting appeared at auction in 2008 and was sold for 9 million euros.
In 1636 Willem van Heythuijsen had his will and testament drawn up with the plans for this hofje in the event that he and his sister would die without issue. All of the information we have today about Willem van Heythuijsen is from this will and the acts drawn up by his executors Thieleman Rosterman and Marten van Sittart. One of these executors also had his portrait painted by Frans Hals. Willem van Heythuijsen became wealthy in the period known as the Dutch Golden Age
. His parents were probably wealthy cloth merchants in Weert, which was at that time well known for its cloth.
in the center of Haarlem, a practice that resulted in the term stinking rich, until laws forbade burials inside churches for hygienic reasons. After his sister died, his two houses on the Oude gracht were sold, as was his summer home on the Spaarne. The summer home "Middelhout" was sold to Hendrik van Vladeracken, brother-in-law to Rosterman. Their daughter Susanna became a regent of the hofje and lived to be 90. Thanks to her legacy, the hofje underwent repairs and a painting was made to honor her that is now in the posseion of the Frans Hals Museum
. Today Middelhout is called Sparenhout and is an old age home.
The proceeds of the van Heythuijsen estate were used to convert the orchard and the gardener's houses of Middelhout into a hofje with room for twelve pensioners, and enough money was left over to make donations to the Oudemannenhuis (currently the location of the Frans Hals Museum
), the Diaconie (currently the location of the Police station), and to the city of Weert for founding a poor house there as well. To provide income for the hofje, more land was purchased just North of this hofje outside the city walls in an area called Rozenprieel, which generated income from rents.
From his clothing in the paintings and his donations, we can conclude that Willem van Heythuijsen was Catholic, in a time when the ruling majority in Haarlem was Protestant. He became a member of the Dutch Reformed church in 1613 with a note of proof from Cologne.
Unlike many other hofjes, this hofje accommodated both male and female inhabitants, until it switched to only female inhabitants in the 18th century. The hofje was built on the border with Heemstede, and the regent's room was South of the rest of the complex on Heemstede land. For centuries a stone border marker was situated in front of the entrance. In 1927 Haarlem annexed a large portion of Heemstede and the marker was removed. It is now in the garden of the Frans Hals Museum.
Address: Kleine Houtweg 135
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...
. It was founded in 1650 by the testament of Willem van Heythuijsen (sometimes spelled Heythuysen) on the site of his summer residence outside the city walls of Haarlem on land that was considered Heemstede
Heemstede
Heemstede is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History :Heemstede formed around the Castle Heemstede that was built on the Spaarne River around 1286. Before 1296, Floris V, Count of Holland, granted Heemstede as a fiefdom to Reinier of Holy...
property until it was annexed in 1927. It is one of the few hofjes of Haarlem to be built outside the city walls. It has a 'T' shape and has a small open courtyard and a garden still intact.
Biography
Willem Heythuijsen was born in WeertWeert
Weert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...
, a small city in Dutch Limburg
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...
that borders the town of Heythuysen. He was a successful cloth merchant of Haarlem who lived on the Oude Gracht (now called Gedempte Oude Gracht). Like many other merchants of Haarlem, he owned a summer house with a garden facing the Spaarne river, outside the city walls. adjacent to the Haarlemmerhout
Haarlemmerhout
The Haarlemmerhout is the oldest public park of the Netherlands. It lies on the south side of Haarlem, on the same old sandy sea wall that is shared by the public park Haagse Bos in the Hague and the Alkmaarderhout in Alkmaar.-History:...
park. He was known as an easygoing bachelor who enjoyed a joke. The keystone above the door of his home hangs behind the Frans Hals Museum
Frans Hals Museum
The Frans Hals Museum is a hofje and municipal museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1862 in the newly renovated former cloister located in the back of the Haarlem city hall known as the Prinsenhof...
today and shows the legend of The Ray-stabbers of Weert, which tells of a load of fish from Zandvoort
Zandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
brought to Weert. One of the fish fell off the cart, and it was a white stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
that a man found and claimed it was a ghost. It was brought to the city hall of Weert where the guard was called out to stab it. This caused quite a commotion before the fish-seller could reassure the people that it was just a fish. The legend probably served to assure people of Haarlem that fish from the sea could be shipped as far as Weert without spoiling, but it is possible also that it is a play on words, since rog is the same word in Dutch for rye bread and stingray.
Hals' Hofje Heren
Frans HalsFrans Hals
Frans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
painted him several times, and one of these portraits hung in this hofje for centuries. It was sold by the hofje regents in 1869 by public auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in Paris and was acquired the following year by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium , is one of the most famous museums in Belgium.-The museum:...
in Brussels. Recently, it was determined that this picture was actually a copy made circa 1650 by the artist himself of his original, which he had executed in the mid-1630's. This latter painting appeared at auction in 2008 and was sold for 9 million euros.
In 1636 Willem van Heythuijsen had his will and testament drawn up with the plans for this hofje in the event that he and his sister would die without issue. All of the information we have today about Willem van Heythuijsen is from this will and the acts drawn up by his executors Thieleman Rosterman and Marten van Sittart. One of these executors also had his portrait painted by Frans Hals. Willem van Heythuijsen became wealthy in the period known as the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
. His parents were probably wealthy cloth merchants in Weert, which was at that time well known for its cloth.
Heythuijsen Grave in the Bavokerk
Willem van Heythuijsen was buried in the Sint-BavokerkSint-Bavokerk
The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square in the Dutch city of Haarlem...
in the center of Haarlem, a practice that resulted in the term stinking rich, until laws forbade burials inside churches for hygienic reasons. After his sister died, his two houses on the Oude gracht were sold, as was his summer home on the Spaarne. The summer home "Middelhout" was sold to Hendrik van Vladeracken, brother-in-law to Rosterman. Their daughter Susanna became a regent of the hofje and lived to be 90. Thanks to her legacy, the hofje underwent repairs and a painting was made to honor her that is now in the posseion of the Frans Hals Museum
Frans Hals Museum
The Frans Hals Museum is a hofje and municipal museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1862 in the newly renovated former cloister located in the back of the Haarlem city hall known as the Prinsenhof...
. Today Middelhout is called Sparenhout and is an old age home.
The proceeds of the van Heythuijsen estate were used to convert the orchard and the gardener's houses of Middelhout into a hofje with room for twelve pensioners, and enough money was left over to make donations to the Oudemannenhuis (currently the location of the Frans Hals Museum
Frans Hals Museum
The Frans Hals Museum is a hofje and municipal museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1862 in the newly renovated former cloister located in the back of the Haarlem city hall known as the Prinsenhof...
), the Diaconie (currently the location of the Police station), and to the city of Weert for founding a poor house there as well. To provide income for the hofje, more land was purchased just North of this hofje outside the city walls in an area called Rozenprieel, which generated income from rents.
From his clothing in the paintings and his donations, we can conclude that Willem van Heythuijsen was Catholic, in a time when the ruling majority in Haarlem was Protestant. He became a member of the Dutch Reformed church in 1613 with a note of proof from Cologne.
Unlike many other hofjes, this hofje accommodated both male and female inhabitants, until it switched to only female inhabitants in the 18th century. The hofje was built on the border with Heemstede, and the regent's room was South of the rest of the complex on Heemstede land. For centuries a stone border marker was situated in front of the entrance. In 1927 Haarlem annexed a large portion of Heemstede and the marker was removed. It is now in the garden of the Frans Hals Museum.
Address: Kleine Houtweg 135