Begijnhof 34 - Oldest house in Amsterdam (1420)

Het Houten Huis (No. 34 on the left) is Amsterdam's oldest house, dating from around 1420. It is one of only two wooden-front houses in the city, as timber houses were banned in 1521 after a series of catastrophic fires. Most of the houses in the Begijnhof were not built until after the 16th century.

On the right you see a house built in 1744 with a brick facade and embellished roof. This style got popular around that time and is the kind of style you still see all around old cities in the Netherlands.

You can find a higher resolution version on Behance.

More by Esther Schinkel

View profile