all locations

De Weeshuizen

In the Westerstraat, the small old orphanage and the large new orphanage stand right next to each other.

The annex looks old, but the facade is a copy. Materials from the old facade, which formerly stood directly on Westerstraat, were used. The building, erected in 1906, still contains gold leather wallpaper from 1742, Louis XV-style mantelpieces crafted by Pieter de Nicolo in 1738, and copper crowns and portraits of men and women from the 16th and 17th centuries. All of this comes from the former orphanage.

The old facade had great artistic value: it was made of brick and natural stone and featured a richly decorated portico. The gable top displayed elegant claw-shaped brackets and ornaments. A gable stone indicated the year 1616, beneath which was a relief depicting a typical orphanage where the orphanage director is teaching.

Did you know that the old (small) Orphanage now houses group accommodation and that Museum Sow to Grow is located in the new (large) Orphanage?