Early residents

Watergraafsmeer was in its early days of development when Linnaeushof (court) was built. But the expected flood of new residents was only a trickle. The diocese was given the land by an operating company in the hope that it would attract people. And that is exactly what happened.

 

Front view of Heilige Martelaren van Gorcum (holy martyrs of Gorcum) church

Kropholler and Berlage

Kropholler was a self-taught architect and a huge admirer of Berlage and his rational building style. He was a believer in the use of ‘honest’ materials and cherished the authentic Dutch brick and wood building traditions.Sacrament processionThe diocese of Haarlem owned the ground on which Linnaeushof and the Heilig Hart Martelaren van Gorcum Church (Holy Martyrs of Gorcum), which became the centre of the courtyard, was built. Pastor Zoetmulder (1862-1942) commissioned the building of the church. He organised a sacrament procession every year around the church, a unique event in Amsterdam.

 

The Claraklooster (monastery) was part of the parish

Nescio

One of the residents of Linnaeushof in the 1940s and 1950s was the Dutch author Nescio. Nescio – Latin for ‘I don’t know’ – is the pseudonym of Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh (1882 - 1961). He lived at number 11 from 1940 to 1956, and then at number 57 until his death. Among Nescio’s works are De Titaantjes (little titans) and De Uitvreter (the loafer).

 

Side view of Heilige Martelaren van Gorcum church