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Begijnehof Wooden House Amsterdam
I worked as a bar waiter just around the corner in De Pilsener
Club (De Engelse Reet) it means the English church is located at the
Begijnehof and reet means alley.
It’s one of the nicest parts of the city! A tranquil corner
in the heart of the city, though well hidden from the bustle of the
outside world and actually quite hard to find, don't give up - it's
worth the hunt!
The Begijnehof is a lovely courtyard of houses surrounding a raised
walled grassed area. Among the buildings is the oldest house in Amsterdam,
in the old days Amsterdam had many wooden houses but after the big
fire in 1521, it was forbidden to build wooden houses. This house
survives the fire and is the oldest wooden house from Amsterdam it
dates from 1420.
The Begijns were a 14th century order of lay sisters who founded their
community here in 1346. They devoted their lives to helping the ill
and the poor. The last true Begijn died in the 1970's. All of the
houses have beautiful little gardens of flowers out front. I was quite
amazed to learn that this spot is low-income housing for single women
now. There's also a little English Church in here, where the Pilgrims
may have worshipped on their way to America as well as a secret chapel
where Catholics used to worship before religious tolerance was reinstated.
At the restoration of the Begijnehof (1984-1987), the courtyard was
renovated and some houses enlarged. Al this explains probably why
this "Begijnehof" in Amsterdam has lost its architectural
homogeneity characteristic of beguinages in other countries. Anyway,
the place was quiet and that is an essential characteristic of a begijnehof
- beguinage.
You can enter the Begijnehof between 9 am and 5 pm.
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