Hof Van Wouw

The Hof van Wouw is in the centre of The Hague on the west side of the Lange Beestenmarkt (numbers 49 – 85). These Almshouses were founded in 1647 by Cornelia van Wouw for the purpose of providing accommodation for single women. The residents are still chosen by the rules laid down in the will of the founder.

There have been two major restorations of the Hof taking place between 1955 and 1960 and again between 1989 and 1997 making them the most attractive and authentic almshouses in the city.

The complex of 17 houses includes one for the Trustee and one for the Keeper. These latter two houses stand on either side of the entrance gate from the Lange Beestenmarkt and were brought back to their original state during the second restoration as was the gate itself.

From the outside the houses appear as they would have done in the 17^th century. Inside there have been a lot of changes including modern sanitation. From the 1940’s two outhouses were built in the garden for use as toilets and were connected to the main city sewer. Later toilet annexes were built in front of the Almshouses but these were taken down in the 1950’s when the toilet facilities were rebuilt inside. The space previously taken up by the cupboard bed has been utilised to make a small kitchen and in the attic a bedroom and bathroom have been added.

The origin of Almshouses in The Netherlands

Urbanisation in the Netherlands began in the 13^th century giving rise to new problems in particular the housing of elderly people.

Initially city houses were similar to those in the countryside consisting basically of three large rooms giving plenty of space for large extended families a layout which went back to the bronze age. However as towns with their surrounding moats and walls became very crowded smaller more compact houses had to be built giving rise to the “City House”. Such houses provided space for one family but with no room to spare for grandparents.

To provide housing for elderly people there were five possibilities:
Hospitals
Begijnhoven (Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns, although

they took no monastic vows)

Holy Ghost Brotherhood

Provenierhouses

Chambres or Almshouses (Hof)

Hospitals – church

Pilgrimage became popular in the 7^th and 8^th centuries giving rise to the need for temporary accommodation for the pilgrims. In 816 A.D. the Pope ordered bishops to found a hospital in each diocese.

These hospitals had two aims:

1) Providing shelter for strangers, mostly pilgrims, with the restriction that they could not stay longer than three days.

2) Taking care of the very poor usually by providing food.

In the 13^th century more specialisation took place and as a result hospitals were given two additional tasks:

a) Care for old people. It was possible to buy a place so making advance provision for old age. These were “Kostkopers” (food buyers) or “Proveniers” who made their own arrangements for food.

b) Care for sick people. The forerunners of our hospitals. Sometimes they specialised in caring for people with specific diseases, for example “pesthouses”

Begijnhoven – church (12^th century)

These provided an intermediate form between monasteries and family living available for people of all ages. Residents had to conform to the rules but were free to leave at any time.

The layout of the begijnhofs was typically similar to the almshouses which were usually grouped round a lawn (which was often used for bleaching sheets in the sunlight) and an adjacent herb garden.

These `begijnhoven’ are exclusive to the Netherlands and Belgium. In the northern area (now The Netherlands) there were initially 40 foundations but now only two are left one in Amsterdam and the other in Breda. In the southern Netherlands (now Belgium) almost all have survived.

Holy Ghost Brotherhood - municipal (13^th/14^th centuries)

From the second half of the 13^th century the municipal authorities became involved in social support. For this purpose the Holy Ghost Brotherhood was started which, contrary to its name, had nothing to do with the church.

The main aim of this Brotherhood was to help the poor. The members, known as Brothers, were appointed and controlled by the city government. This turned out to be a very reliable system which worked better than the institutions run by the church. As the role of the churches in the Northern part decreased following the Reformation the monasteries and “begijnhoven” disappeared and the hospitals took on the role that we know today.

The government provided for the care of poor older people constructing separate `Old Men Houses’ and `Old Women Houses’ while the better off were able to buy themselves into the `Proveniers’ houses.

Almshouses (Hof) (14^th century)

From the middle of the 14^th century the almshouses as we know them today grew out of these different kinds of institutions.

Almshouse (Hofjes) are typical Dutch creations. They are seen as cosy, picturesque little houses grouped around a garden with almost always a water pump and a gate. Above all they have tranquillity.

On the negative side people point out the social isolation they cause residents but there are a lot of advantages. One can point out the help of neighbours at times of sickness and loneliness as values that are much appreciated and, in fact, recent scientific research on living conditions for older people has put almshouses in the first place.

Until a few decades ago almshouses were seen as quaint, delightful residences but for people living in them they were often dark, dank, cold and very undesirable and in many cases were falling into disrepair.

The popularity of the almshouses as living quarters for older people declined during the post war period because of the availability of modern apartment buildings designed specifically for elderly people. In university cities such as Amsterdam and Leiden the vacancies were taken up by students.

In the 1980’s changes took place when the Ministry of Culture designated almshouses as “Culture Monuments” and this led to grants being made for necessary restoration so that they can now be enjoyed by future generations. Besides the external restoration the almshouses have been fitted out with all modern conveniences making them ideal for one person to live in and so there is a big demand for the accommodation they provide. Most almshouses have long waiting lists of prospective tenants.

Almshouses (hofjes) can be divided into three categories:

1) Private foundations. This group of almshouses were founded by private individuals who in most cases wanted to donate part of their wealth to charity and this was particularly so in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. No doubt such generosity gave the family a greater status in the city. An engraved stone in the gable of a house indicates who is the donor such as “Mrs.X shows here her love and devotion to the comfort of the poor and an example to the rich” A common saying was “A certain amount of vanity is obvious!”

2) Church foundations. These are almshouses which were constructed by churches as acts of charity. These include the old hospitals and, since the Reformation, almshouses similar to those founded by the Holy Ghost Brotherhood.

3) Municipal foundations. These were founded by the Holy Ghost Brotherhood which in most cases, over time, became completely independent of the municipal authorities.