The beginning
For more than 600 years, the Begijnhof, one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam, has been located in a quiet spot of Amsterdam’s busy city center. The date of the foundation of the Begijnhof has never been fixed and can probably never be determined. The first mention dates back to 1307, and there is mention…
Growth
Until the year 1417, the Begijnhof did not extend further south than to the present-day Begijnensteeg. Up to the Spui, everything was swamp, that the Begijnen over the years filled with rubble, garbage and sand and thus made a solid foundation. From 1417 onwards, the Begijnhof was expanded with many houses. After the great city…
Alteration
Until 1578, Amsterdam was a predominantly Roman Catholic city. The veneration of the Sacrament of the Miracle brought with it a lively annual fair, with thousands of pilgrims coming to the city and ensuring a thriving economy. In 1578, the Protestants took over power in the city Amsterdam from the Catholics. Catholics were forbidden to…
Houten Huys
The Wooden House is one of the oldest houses in Amsterdam and is dated before 1452, the 2nd major city fire. Both the front and rear façade are made entirely of wood and inside the entire Gothic timber frame is still present. In this building there is a fragment of the 15th century painting “Mary…
Architecture
The Begijnhof is from architectural perspective very unique in Amsterdam because the houses show many façade types, such as the staircase, the bell, neck, spout and frame façade. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most of the façades were replaced. Only the original wooden façade of the Houten Huys at no. 34 has been preserved…