Page 29 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Amsterdam

Begijnhof ❮❮ 27

Statue of a
Wall Plaque
6 9 THE WELFARE
Beguine
on No. 19
The statue by Engelse The story depicted on SYSTEM
Kerk shows a Beguine this handsome plaque Charity lies at the heart
dressed in a traditional illustrates the return of Amsterdam’s long
falie (headdress) and from Egypt to Israel of tradition of caring for
long garment of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the poor and needy,
undyed cloth. after the death of Herod. which goes back to the
Middle Ages. In the
14th century, primary
responsibility for social
welfare passed from the
church to the city
author ities. They
distributed food to
the poor, and set up
institutions to care for
orphans, the sick and
the insane. In the 17th
century, a number of
wealthy merchants
funded hofjes
(almshouses) providing
sub sidized mass
housing for the needy.
NEED TO KNOW
MAP M4 • Spui
Courtyard with
Begijnhof
7 0 (entrance on Gedempte
Wall Plaques
Chapel
Begijnensloot) • 020 622
The city’s first hidden Set into the wall of the 1918 • www.begijnhof
amsterdam.nl
courtyard behind Het
chapel (below) was
Houten Huis is a
created in 1665, when
Open 9am–5pm daily;
NIEUWEZIJDS VOORBURGWAL GEDEMPTE BEGIJNENSLOOT the Beguines converted collection of wall plaques Begijnhof Chapel: open
from demolished houses.
two ordinary houses into
1–6:30pm Mon,
a little church (see
9am–6:30pm Tue–Fri,
In keeping with the
9am–6pm Sat–Sun
pp24–5). The Miracle of
religious nature of the
Amsterdam (see p44) is
Beguines, each one tells
• Café Luxembourg and
a biblical story.
commemorated here.
traditional Café Hoppe
are just round the
corner in Spui (at Nos.
S P U I 18 and 24 respectively).
• Services are held in
Dutch (daily) and French
(Sundays) in the Roman
Catholic Begijnhof
Chapel. Services in
English are held in the
Protestant Engelse Kerk
(Sundays).
• Enjoy a day concert at
the Engelse Kerk.
Mother Superior’s House
8 • Pick up an
The grandest house, No. 26, belonged to the
inform ation booklet
Mother Superior. In the 20th century, the last of the from Het Houten Huis.
Beguines lived together here.
Following pages Houses on the Damrak
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