November 04, 2012

Hofjes in Den Haag




Slowly but surely I'm getting to know my city better. The above are pictures of 'hofjes' in The Hague. Hofjes are courtyards with almshouses around them, which provided housing for, mostly, elderly women. Today, quite a few still exist but you rarely get a chance to peek into the courtyard as the hofjes are very closed off and private. Rightly so, I suppose, as that is one of the benefits these days of living there.

Every year many monumental buildings in the Netherlands open up on a specific weekend and I took advantage to have a look at some of these stunning courtyards and houses.