The Court Geest Hofje 1616

A tall, narrow brick gateway on the Zuidwal marks the entrance to the Court Geest Hofje. Built in sixteen sixteen, this courtyard contains seventeen small houses tucked behind a heavy gate that shuts out the city noise. It was established by a wealthy merchant named Gerrit van der Meer to provide housing for elderly women who lacked the means to support themselves. Even today, the silence inside contrasts sharply with the traffic on the street outside, keeping the seventeenth century atmosphere intact.