In front of you is a stately, symmetrical brick building with a grand doorway and-if you look straight above the entrance-you'll spot two stone statues: one of an old man and one of an old woman, keeping watch over the door like timeless guardians.
Now, let’s travel back to the year 1778, when the air here would have carried the sounds of clattering carriages and the whispers of townsfolk wandering down Nieuwstraat. Right where you’re standing, imagine the freshly built brickwork rising grand and proud, designed by the city’s own master builder, C. van Leeuwen, on top of what used to be a peaceful Begijnhof. This wasn’t just any house-it was the Old Men and Women’s House, a classicistic refuge where elderly townsfolk could live out their golden years. Picture the fluttering lace curtains and the gentle glow from the tall windows. Rumor has it, if you listened close at sundown, you might have even heard some friendly bickering drifting from behind those bricks-old-timers arguing lovingly over who’d win in a game of checkers! Gaze at the Louis XVI-style window above the doorway, flanked by those two statues, carved to remind everyone that every story-no matter how old-deserves a place in the heart of the city. Now a national monument, this building stands as a living memory, quietly inviting all passers-by to imagine the laughter, the wisdom, and the warmth that once filled its halls. And who knows? Maybe those statues are still eavesdropping-so mind what secrets you share!
