Museum
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The national museum of Dutch art and history, home to Rembrandt's Night Watch.
Historic site · Netherlands · Noord-Holland
Begijnhof
A quiet courtyard of historic houses, hidden just off a busy shopping street.
Free to enter about 30 min
For storytellers
Why Begijnhof matters
Step through a small doorway off the busy Kalverstraat and the noise disappears. The Begijnhof is a peaceful courtyard of old houses around a lawn, built centuries ago for a community of religious women called beguines. One of the oldest wooden houses in the city stands here. Please be quiet and respect that people live here.
Talking points
- It is a surprising pocket of calm in the middle of the city.
- It was built for beguines, a lay religious sisterhood.
- People still live here, so keep your voice low.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
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