History

The Grote Kerk (Great Church) of Harlingen was formerly known as the Dom van Almenum (Cathedral of Almenum). Before the end of the 16th century, the village surrounding the church was called Almenum. Harlingen was the name of the town located a few hundred meters to the west, whose inhabitants belonged to the parish of Almenum.

When Harlingen's urban area expanded in 1580, the church became part of the city. The name Almenum, as a village area east of Harlingen, persisted into the last century, even though Almenum had become a neighborhood within Harlingen's old town center.

The Almenum district was once almost entirely owned by a wealthy merchant family, the Hanekuyck family. This prominent family also owned the warehouse and the adjacent building that now houses the reception desk.

In the previous century, what is now the reception area housed Dijkstra's Jute Bag Factory. In 2009, the original mural on the side wall was restored to its former glory. Downstairs, the bags were sewn, and the upper floor was used as sleeping quarters for the servants and coachmen. We've now returned to that former purpose in the form of our hotel rooms.

From warehouse to hotel

The warehouse dates back to around the 17th century. As far as we can tell, it has served a variety of purposes. For a long time in the last century, it served as a stable and storage facility. The last horses to be kept there were Floris and Fien, as the last residents of the original workers' cottages told us. It stood empty for years and was completely dilapidated. The warehouse was fully restored in 1993/1994, and the luxury apartments were built within it.

The corner house (bomsluiterhûs) dates from 1645. At that time, access to Almenum was still blocked by a tree. The "Bomsluiter" (Bomb Closer) collected the toll and lived right by the entrance. In the previous century, it was a blacksmith's shop. The forge fire burned downstairs, and the family lived upstairs. During its restoration by the Hein Buisman Foundation in 1984, it was repurposed as a residence. In 2008, we were able to add it to Hotel Almenum as the restaurant "De Buurvrouw" (The Neighbor).