Hoofdwacht, Haarlem
Encyclopedia
De Hoofdwacht is a historical building on the Grote Markt 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...

.

It was built in the 13th century. Traces in the wall indicate that this is one of the oldest buildings in the city. From 1250 to around 1350 it served as the first city hall of Haarlem. After that, various important families lived in the house. The lower part of the house has been used as a printer, a shop and a beer storage place.

The humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....

 Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert
Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert
Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert was a Dutch writer, philosopher, translator, politician and theologian. Coornhert is often considered the Father of Dutch Renaissance scholarship.-Biography:...

 has worked in the Hoofdwacht.

The facade dates from circa 1650.

On May 17, 1755 the building was bought by the municipality to serve as headquarters for the city guards (schutterij
Schutterij
Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces within the city, near the city walls, but, when the...

).

Since 1919 the building is occupied by the historical association Historische vereniging Haerlem. From May till September it is open for the public in the weekends.
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