The Hofje van Staats is a hofje

Hofje

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 . They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security...

 in Haarlem

Haarlem

Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, on the Jansweg 39, close to the Haarlem railway station.

History of the complex

It was built from July 29, 1730 to 1733 from the legacy of the Haarlem thread-seller Ysbrand Staats. He left his entire legacy to the poor, and his brother took charge of building this hofje after he died. The first hofje to be built in the 18th century, the executors visited Alkmaar

Alkmaar

Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...

 under the leadership of architect Abraham Kleijn, to visit the "new style hofje" Wildemans. In former times hofjes were built in the back gardens of larger homes of the wealthy donors. In 1730 the new style hofjes were luxurious complexes with fancy gateway buildings directly on the street. The original gateway house of this hofje still stands, but no longer functions as the home of a governing regent, but as a storefront. It is certainly grander than the Wildeman's hofje, but was itself surpassed as the fanciest hofje in Haarlem by the Teylers Hofje

Teylers Hofje

The Teylershofje is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands with 24 houses.-History of the foundation:The current hofje was built in 1787 from the legacy of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, just like the Teylers Museum close to it. Pieter Teyler van der Hulst originally founded a hofje when his wife died in...

.

Residents

The hofje was designed to be grand, because it was meant for women of the Dutch Reformed faith, at that time the official faith of the Haarlem council. According to the original hofje rules and regulations, the women eligible to live there were not very poor, because they had to buy their place for 50 florins and bring a long list of possessions with them, including clothing and furnishings. It originally had houses for 29 single elder women, after the renovation in 1990 this was reduced to 20.

Finances

The hofje was quite wealthy, and in 1783 celebrated its 50 year jubilee with a glass for the regents engraved with the portrait of Ysbrand Staats. According to the period history of Haarlem by Pieter Langendijk

Pieter Langendijk

Pieter Langendijk was a damask weaver, city artist, dramatist, and poet.-Life:Pieter was the son of Arend Kort, a mason born in Langedijk. His father died when he was young so he and his mother began a textile business. In 1695, they moved to the Hague, then Amsterdam...

, the hofje had bleaching fields behind the easternmost cottages and a pavilion on the Spaarne river for the ladies to drink tea in. During the French occupation the finances took a turn for the worse and that land was sold. An original drawing of the complete hofje complex from the Jansweg to the Spaarne hangs in the Hofje van Noblet

Hofje van Noblet

The Hofje van Noblet is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:It was built in 1761 from the legacy of Leonard Noblet and his sisters Sara en Geertruida. The houses in the hofje are built in the garden of the house of the Noblet family, Haerlem en Spaargesigt. The father of Leonard, Elezar...

, whose finances are also managed by the same "Foundation for the preservation of the Hofjes Staats and Noblet".

Address: Jansweg 39