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 (mostly women). They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security. In the Netherlands there are still a number of hofjes in use.
Hofjes are usually built in a U-shape with a yard or garden in the middle, and a gate as entrance. The shape of hofjes was most likely inspired by the (older) Begijnenhofjes -- groups of small houses inhabited exclusively by religious women.
A distinction is usually made between the Begijnenhofjes and 'regular' hofjes. The former were used only by (Catholic) women, who were supporting themselves. They were a sort of cloister. The latter were more charitable institutions.
To be eligible to live in a hofje one had to meet four criteria:
Sex: almost all hofjes were founded for women, as they could be relied on to keep a household running
Religion: many hofjes were founded for people of the same faith as the founder (some hofjes were founded by church communities)
Age: from the 17th century a minimum age was often used. Fifty years was common, and this was an old age in those years
Social-economic background: hofjes were targeted for poorer people
In the 18th century there were hofjes founded for commercial purposes; the inhabitants would pay rent.
Cities with many hofjes in the Netherlands include:
Alkmaar
Amsterdam
Den Haag
Groningen
Haarlem
Leiden
This pic is a collage of the entrance of the Hofje (court) Meerman Burg in the city of Leiden. The poem is made by the celebrating of 100 years existing. I love those ``hofjes`` and will do some more pic.s the next coming day`s
This is a lovely shot. Perhaps the good works here makes it glow all the more brightly. Fascinating history and nice to know the Dutch were taking care of their elderly, especially women. I have to say though they probably needed some taking care of if they reached the age of 50 in the 17th century.
This sounds so much more gentle and loving than some of the institutions here in the States these days- although most of them probably started in a similar fashion to the hofjes. Nice shot and excellent history lesson!
Fantastic information, Pyrrhula, to go with these two lovely shots. We have several old people's homes. They started by religious organisations, than the government built its own. These were all for free. In addition there are now many privately owned homes which charge money - sometimes, plenty of it.
@sangwann@olivetreeann@bruni, @randystreat@kwind Sadly, the social intentions of the first owners (builders) of the hofjes has gone, long ago. Now they are a part of the house market .
