A (diminutive of
'hof'
,
'court') is a
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
word for a courtyard with
almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
s around it. have existed since the Middle Ages.
A provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security. In the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
there are still a number of in use.
are usually built in a U-shape with a yard or garden in the middle, and a gate as entrance. The shape of 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' . The former were used only by (Catholic) women, who were supporting themselves. They were a kind of cloister. The latter were more charitable institutions.
To be eligible to live in a one had to meet four criteria:
# Sex: almost all were founded for women, as they could be relied on to keep a household running; although for men and married couples did exist
# Religion: many were founded for people of the same faith as the founder (some 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: were targeted for poorer people
In the 18th century some were founded for commercial purposes; the inhabitants would pay rent.
The "''Hofje van Mevrouw Van Aerden''" in
Leerdam
Leerdam () is a city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht.
The municipality was merged with the municipalities of Vianen and Zederik on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipalit ...
is open to visitors as a museum.
Cities with many in the Netherlands include:
*
Alkmaar
Alkmaar () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Alkmaar is well known fo ...
*
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
*
Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
*
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
*
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
*
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
(see
Hofjes in Haarlem
Haarlem is one of the cities in the Netherlands that has a number of hofjes. Some of them are still in use with boards of regents. Many of these are members of the ''Stichting Haarlemse Hofjes'' (Foundation Hofjes of Haarlem). The word 'hofje' j ...
)
*
Leiden
Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
*
Utrecht
Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
External links
Introduction to the history of hofjes{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040926122853/http://www.godutch.com/inserts/Tollendale/articles/p0809a01.asp , date=2004-09-26
Museum Hofje van Mevrouw Van AerdenVideo tour of Haarlem's Hofjes
Dutch words and phrases