Hofje van Bakenes

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Poem above the entrance of the hofje at the Bakenessergracht: "Ingang van t Gesticht van Dirck van Baekenes voor Vrouwen acht en twee mael ses".
Poem above the entrance of the hofje at the Bakenessergracht: "Ingang van t Gesticht van Dirck van Baekenes voor Vrouwen acht en twee mael ses".

The Hofje van Bakenes or Bakenesserkamer is a hofje in Haarlem, the Netherlands.

It was built in 1395 from a legacy of Dirck van Bakenes (or Dirc van Bakenesse). It is the oldest hofje in Haarlem.

Initially the hofje consisted of 13 houses, in which 20 women lived. One of the building was turned into a Board room (Regentenkamer) in 1663. There was place for 12 women then.

The hofje has two entrances, at the Bakenessergracht and one at the Wijde Appelaarsteeg.

Translation of the little poem at the former entrance:
Entrance of the foundation of Dirck van Baekenes for ladies eight and two times six

This has two meanings
m = (8 + 2) * 6 = 60 is the minimum age to live
n = 8 + (2 * 6) = 20 is the number of people who could live there

Address: Wijde Appelaarsteeg 11
The Hofje van Bakenes.

Coordinates: 52°22′53″N 4°38′24″E / 52.38139, 4.64

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