Hofjes in Haarlem
Encyclopedia
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...
is one of the cities in the 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...
that has a number of 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...
s. Some of them are even still in use with boards of regents. Many of these are members of the Stichting Haarlemse Hofjes (Foundation Hofjes of Haarlem). The word 'hofje' just means small garden, because the hofjes are generally small houses grouped around a community kitchen garden with a water pump. Often they were attached to a larger field for bleaching linen or growing orchards, but today those fields have been long used for city expansion and only the central gardens can still be seen.
Early Hospitals
Works of Mercy
The Works of Mercy or Acts of Mercy are actions and practices which Christianity in general, and the Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in particular, consider expectations to be fulfilled by believers, and are a means of grace, which aid in sanctification.The...
; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead, shelter the traveler, comfort the sick, and free the imprisoned. Committing any of these acts would gain the giver entrance through the pearly gates of Heaven. This is what prompted so many wealthy Haarlem citizens to found Hofjes in their name on their death.
In Haarlem the city council became responsible for acts of mercy on a grand scale when the leper colony was founded outside the city walls in the town of Schoten
Schoten (Netherlands)
Schoten is a former village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It was located between Haarlem and Santpoort.Schoten was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1927, when it was merged with Haarlem...
in 1393. For centuries from all over Holland, lepers had to come to Haarlem to get an attestatie or proof of leprosy, as a legal permit to beg. Similarly, the Haarlem Beul, or city executioner, "freed" prisoners all over the country from Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
by chopping their heads off. This led to the Dutch saying zo brutaal als de beul van Haarlem, meaning "as brutal as the Haarlem executioner". This morbid practise was only stopped in the beginning of the 17th century. The Haarlem leper colony, Het Dolhuys
Het Dolhuys
Het Dolhuys is a national museum for psychiatry in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The museum was founded in 2005 in the newly renovated former old age home known as Schoterburcht, located just across the Schotersingel from the Staten Bolwerk park. The whole complex is much older than that however,...
, still exists and is currently a museum.
In 1347, the first mention of a 'Gasthuys' is made in Haarlem archives. After the leper colony was founded (in the name of Saint Lazarus), a new gasthuys, in the name of Saint Elisabeth
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
, was built on the Verwulft where the sick were treated that did not need quarantine outside the city walls. This hospital existed and grew until the fire that burned it down. Hofje van Loo was an add-on that survived. The Elisabeth Gasthuys (later called EG) was rebuilt on the location of a former monastery (cellenbroers or minnebroers) in the Groot Heiligland (across the street from 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) where it operated from 1581 to 1971. Originally a church institution, it was now run by Haarlem council members, due to the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. Since the German occupation of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, this hospital is no longer run by the Haarlem council, but still exists and is called the Kennemer Gasthuis today. The former buildings in the Groot Heiligland house a community center and have been converted to homes.
Management
The hofjes are managed by five board members called regents. Any community structure in Haarlem, be it a guildGuild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
or a hofje, had a group of five regents or regentesses. Whenever there was a change of board members, a commemorative painting would be made. In paintings by Frans Hals
Frans 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...
' the regents of the Poor men's almshouse and the regents of the St. Elisabeth Gasthuys can be seen. Many guilds kept hofjes for their own aging members. When the guilds were disbanded under the French occupation in 1794, the guild regents kept their role as hofje regents.
Wealth
It was the duty of the regents to care for the books and the behavior of the members. Many hofjes were quite wealthy, due to the high turnover of its members, who had to donate all of their possessions to the hofje in order to be accepted for living there. Other sources of income were lotteries, that were organized to build new premises or restore old ones. The living conditions between the various hofjes varied substantially, with each religious order competing to keep the most luxurious one. Today most of the surviving hofjes receive their income from housing rents.Origins
When talking of hofjes, most people refer to the name given to the buildings themselves, but the foundations they are based on may have moved premises several times since the original foundation date, and even changed their names. Hofjes in Haarlem were primarily the result of generous bequests by wealthy men or women in their own name, rather than from any group religious or municipal effort. Most hofjes were meant for elderly women, because there were far more poor aged women in the streets than poor aged men.However, after the iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Haarlem in 1566, the Catholics (and their hofjes) were forced underground, and many became quite poor. When the 'Oudemannenhuis' opened in 1609, many of the poor men who were accepted were Catholics.
list of Haarlem hofjes (by year of foundation)
- 1395: Hofje van BakenesHofje van BakenesThe Hofje van Bakenes or Bakenesserkamer is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands, located between the Bakenessergracht and the Wijde Appelaarsteeg.-History of the foundation:...
(or Bakenesserkamer) - 1440: Vrouwe- en Antonie GasthuysVrouwe- en Antonie GasthuysThe Vrouwe- en Antonie Gasthuis is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-Foundation:This hofje is run by a foundation called 'Vrouwe- en Antonie Gasthuis', which was founded in 1440 as a guest house for pilgrims seeking shelter...
(Merger of Onse Lieve Vrouwegasthuis, or St. Barbaragasthuis , and Sint Antoniegasthuis) - 1472: BrouwershofjeBrouwershofjeThe Brouwershofje is a hofje on the Tuchthuisstraat in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:The Hofje was founded by the Haarlem Guild of Beer brewers, one of the most powerful guilds in Haarlem. It was initially named the St. Maartenshofje after the patron saint of the brewers...
(or Sint Maartensgasthuis) - 1489: Hofje van LooHofje van LooThe Hofje van Loo is a hofje on the Barrevoetstraat 7 in Haarlem, Netherlands.It was founded in 1489 by Haarlem mayor Symon Pieterszoon van Loo and his wife Godelt Willemsdochter, on the Grebbesteeg 'purely to honor and rest the souls of their parents and themselves' by funding 13 rooms with...
(or St. Elisabeth's Gasthuis) - 1607: Frans LoenenhofjeFrans LoenenhofjeThe Frans Loenenhofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands, on the Witte Heren straat.It was named the "Five room" or Vijfkamer hofje in 1607 after the five new rooms that were built from the proceeds of the will and testament of Frans Loenen ....
- 1609: Frans Hals MuseumFrans Hals MuseumThe 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...
(or Oudemannenhuis) - 1609 & 1684: Hofje Codde en Van BeresteijnHofje Codde en Van BeresteijnThe Hofje van Codde en Beresteyn is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands. The current building is from 1968 and is located on the J. Cuyperstraat, which is named for the architect who designed the Cathedral of Saint Bavo next door, Joseph Cuypers. This hofje is the wealthiest hofje foundation in Haarlem...
- 1610: BruiningshofjeBruiningshofjeThe Bruiningshofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:It was founded in 1610 by Jan Bruininck Gerritz , and is one of four hofjes owned by the Mennonite church of Haarlem. The others are the Wijnbergshofje in the Barrevoetestraat, the Zuiderhofje on the Zuiderstraat, and the Blokshofje on...
- 1614: Lutherse HofjeLutherse HofjeThe Lutherse Hofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:The hofje was founded by the Lutheran Church in 1615. Originally the people living in the hofje were members of this church, but nowadays only the board of the hofje is appointed by the Lutheran Church. The hofje adjoins the Lutheran...
- 1616: Hofje In den Groenen TuinHofje In den Groenen TuinThe Hofje in den Groenen Tuin is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:It was founded in 1616 by Catherina Jansdr. Amen, the widow of Jacob Claesz. van Schoorl...
- 1616: Hofje van Guurtje de WaalHofje van Guurtje de WaalHofje van Guurtje de Waal is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:It was founded in 1616 by Guerte Jansdochter de Wael, daughter of a rich textile trader, for poor women of the Dutch Reformed faith. She died in 1632. Originally 6 small houses, it was expanded to 8 houses in 1661 when the...
- 1640: ZuiderhofjeZuiderhofjeThe Zuiderhofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:The hofje was founded in 1640 by Jacques van Damme and his wife Elisabeth Blinckvliedt, and is owned by the Mennonite church of Haarlem...
- 1650: Hofje van Willem HeythuijsenHofje van Willem HeythuijsenThe Hofje van Willem Heythuijsen is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands. It was founded in 1650 by the testament of Willem van Heythuijsen 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...
- 1662: WijnbergshofjeWijnbergshofjeThe Wijnbergshofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands, on the Barrevoetstraat.It was founded in 1662 by the Mennonite Church. It was renovated in 1872 and contains 9 houses for pensioners...
- 1730: Hofje van StaatsHofje van StaatsThe Hofje van Staats is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands, on the Jansweg 39, close to the Haarlem railway station.-History of the complex:...
- 1752: Teylers HofjeTeylers HofjeThe Teylershofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands with 24 houses.-History of the foundation:The current hofje was built in 1787 from the legacy of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, just like the Teylers Museum close to it. Pieter Teyler van der Hulst originally founded a hofje when his wife died in...
(or 1787, see article) - 1760: Hofje van NobletHofje van NobletThe Hofje van Noblet is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:It was built in 1761 from the legacy of Leonard Noblet and his sisters Sara en Geertruida. The houses in the hofje are built in the garden of the house of the Noblet family, Haerlem en Spaargesigt. The father of Leonard, Elezar...
- 1768: Hofje van OorschotHofje van OorschotThe Hofje van Oorschot is a hofje on the Kruisstraat 44 in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:This hofje was founded upon the death of the donor in 1768 , but wasn't built until 1770, because of demands made by the neighbor on the other side of the street, David Van Lennep...
- 1773: Remonstrants HofjeRemonstrants HofjeThe Remonstrantshofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands. It is one of the hofjes in Haarlem that is traditionally used to provide housing for elderly people....
- 2001: Gravinnehof
- 2007: Johan Enschedé HofJohan Enschedé HofThe Johan Enschedé Hof is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands, on the Korte Begijnestraat. Via a rear entrance it is linked to the Hofje van Bakenes.-Building:...