Karthuizerhof, Amsterdam

Karthuizerhof is a historic courtyard of small homes, built in 1650 for widows and older unmarried women with limited means. Its four wings were designed by city architect Daniël Stalpaert around an open court. From the street, the upper windows are marked by neat rows of white wooden drying racks, a detail that gave the street its local nickname.

Through the gate, you can see two seventeenth-century water pumps: one has a fish-head spout, while the other ends in a mask. This site reaches further back than the courtyard itself. Carthusian monks founded a monastery here in 1394, but rebels destroyed it in 1566.

Afterward, its remaining valuables went to poor relief, the orphanage and hospitals. Above the entrance are the names of the original regents who organised help for people living at home in poverty.