The history of the City Library

Here on the right on the corner is the large city library of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. It is now also part of Huis73. There is also a lot to tell about this building, so stop and enjoy your surroundings while I tell you about it.

The 73 stands for the area code of Den Bosch. So all telephone numbers in the municipality of Den Bosch start with 073 and you can also find this in other company names.

The history of this library goes back to 1268. A year in which the ‘Table of the Holy Spirit’ was founded. This was actually a real table, which stood in the Saint John’s where the poor could get food. The start of the food bank. Due to the growth of the city and therefore also the number of poor people, a building was soon needed and it was built on this site in 1295. The locals gave it the name;  het geefhuis, which can be translated as ‘the Giving House’.

The wing on the right around the corner dates from the Middle Ages and was rebuilt after the Geefhuis was badly damaged in the city fire of 1419.

This part of the building therefore featured the Geefhuis relief that you have previously been able to admire in the Noordbrabants museum. This was made around 1520 by Jan van Aken, nephew of Jheronimus Bosch. This cousin also used the studio in the so-called ‘Huis van Bosch’, which was located on the Market, but you will see that in a moment.

The beautiful building has also been a retirement home, which was simply called ‘Old men’s and women’s home’ in the period from 1824 to 1960. A decade later, now a national monument, the building was once again given a new purpose, this time as a city library. During this restoration, the entire courtyard was covered in a modern way with glass, which increased the usable surface enormously.

Now carefully cross the intersection. If you look closely, the name of the street you cross will change. From the Torenstraat mentioned earlier, into St. Josephstraat. For guests who use the P+R parking area at ‘de Vliert’, the route starts here, because the bus stop is 50 meters to the right of this intersection. Welcome to all those joining the tour here.

Keep going along Hinthamerstraat, also known as the Hinthamer Promenade. It is an amalgamation of pedestrians and cyclists. The street is otherwise car-free, but suppliers and parcel deliveries are also forced to use this street. So always be careful.