The Meisjeshuis - Wandeling Antoni
Between 1578 and 1954, the Meisjeshuis was an orphanage for girls from reformed families who had lost one of their parents.
A case of mistaken identity
The current building dates from 1769. At that time, it was thought that Antoni van Leeuwenhoek had once lived here, which is why there is a plaque on the railings of the Meisjeshuis. We now know that he lived on the street called Hippolytusbuurt, but the plaque has nevertheless been kept. Antoni was no stranger to personal suffering; his first wife Barbara and four of his children died at a young age. He remarried in 1671, to Cornelia Swalmius, who came from a family of pastors. In 1694, Cornelia also died, after which he lived alone with his daughter Maria from his first marriage.