"Begijnhof" Begijnhof - The Wooden House Tip by Twan

The beguinage in Amsterdam is the only medieval almshouses founded in Amsterdam, located within the Singel. The courtyard is almost a meter lower than the rest of the city, the medieval street level. It is unclear when the Beguine was founded. The nuns still lived in 1346 in a house (in a document of that year speaks of a "beghynhuys"). Only in 1389 for the first time spoken of a court (in a letter of privilege). Originally the Beguine completely enclosed by water (the Damrak, the Spui and Begijnensloot) with the only access to a gate Begijnensteeg (with a bridge over the Begijnensloot). The rear walls were thus in the water. The entrance to the Spui existed only since the 19th century.

The Beguine is no ordinary court, because no old age pensions was founded by individuals. It was more like a monastery, although the nuns had more freedom than nuns in a convent, the nuns put a vow of chastity but if at any time the court leave to marry. Moreover, there are high, specifically Amsterdam city halls (the Beguine is the only courtyard which houses the name and address of the courthouse themselves), which more or less private nature of the court in the eye. Here no aaneengerijde woninkjes as usual and characteristic of most courts. There are 47 ordinary town houses with individual respect, most with facades from the 17th and 18th century, but the houses are usually older: 18 houses still have a gothic wooden skeleton.
The Wooden Huys, Beguine 34

Famous is the restored wooden house Beguine 34. In Amsterdam there are only two medieval wooden houses (the other wooden house is Zeedijk 1). This house is circa 1528 and is probably the oldest surviving wooden house in the Netherlands.

The court has two fields with the pale Beguinage Chapel between. The old gate in 1907 restored the Begijnensloot, dates from 1574 and has a stone on which St. Ursula has shown, the patroness of Amsterdam Beguines. The gate on the side of the Spui, from about 1725, in the 19th century instead of the gatehouse that stands there now. The Begijnhof contains many plaques, most clearly Catholic character.

The Begijnhof was the only Catholic institution after the Alteration of 1578 persisted; other Catholic churches and institutions were violently forced to move to the Protestant faith. Namely the Beguine houses were privately owned by the nuns themselves. However, had the Catholic chapel on the English Presbyterians (reformed Protestants) are abandoned under pressure from the Protestant authorities. Since then this church called the Church of England. Opposite the entrance of the chapel were in 1671 by architect Philip Vingboons two houses converted to Roman Catholic church shelter: the HH John and Ursula Church (the patron saints of the Beguine). After the Chapel at the Holy Place in 1908, this church was officially broken the miracle church.

The most famous in the history of Beguine the Beguine is Cornelia Arens, deceased on October 14, 1654 (date of birth unknown, date of profession July 6, 1621). Her last will was to be buried in the gutter instead of the "profane" chapel. According to legend, she was still buried in the chapel but the next day her coffin lay in the gutter next to the chapel (which was repeated twice). She was then still buried in the gutter. According to another variant of the legend could find no rest her soul and she wandered at night on the court, after which they are installed in the gutter was buried.

On May 23, 1971 died at age 84 the last Beguine, "Sister Antonia", actually Agatha Kaptein (born on 13 april 1887 Akersloot). On May 26 she was buried at the Tomb of the Sister Roman Catholic Cemetery St. Barbara in Amsterdam.

The Beguine had the renovation in 1979 140 homes (of which approximately 110 one bedroom and about 25 two-room dwellings) occupied by an equal number of inmates. After the renovation, there are only two and three bedroom homes. The number of inmates has since become constant, namely 105.

The Beguine is one of the oldest Amsterdam canal gardens of the city (still) rich.