Spaanse Huis Naarden
The name of the Spanish House commemorates a terrible massacre in 1572. On 1 December of that year, the male population of Naarden was lured to the building by Spanish soldiers, where they were subsequently massacred by the Spaniards. Naarden was set on fire. The 'Spanish House', which then served as the town hall, also went up in flames. In 1615, the building was restored. From that moment on, the building served as a weigh house for almost two centuries. Nowadays, the Spanish House houses the Scales Museum.
Location
Naarden-Vesting
Construction period
Late Middle Ages
Past function
Probably the former chapel of the former adjacent guesthouse
Rebuild
1615
Special feature
Gable stone from 1615
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Wheelchair accessible
No
Visitor information
The Spanish House houses the Scale Museum. How come a kilo is the same all over the world? Is a kilo still a kilo on the moon? You will learn and discover everything about measuring and weighing in this museum.
Visiting address:
Turfpoortstraat 27, 1411 ED Naarden-Vesting
The monument is originally a late medieval building in which the chapel of the adjacent hospital was probably located. In 1570 a major renovation took place and was transformed into a town hall. The building has been called the 'Spaanse Huys' since 1615. This name is related to the events of 1 December 1572. The three facade stones that were placed in the front facade in 1615 commemorate this event.
Until 1809, the building served as a weigh house. (Trade) goods were weighed here. Afterwards, from 1809 to 1814, the building served as accommodation for soldiers. In 1813, the Spanish House was used by the Napoleonic troops as a garrison bakery, for which two large ovens were built. After the departure of the French garrison, the building was given the function of main guard. From the main guard, guard rounds were made by a kind of military police. Soldiers who had misbehaved were locked up in the vaulted cellar on the street side of the building.
In 1845, the city of Naarden transferred the building to the State. It was not until 1867 that the building's function changed again, when it was put back into use as a garrison bakery. This function ceased in 1880 when Bastion Oud Molen was converted into a bomb-proof bakery. The Spaanse Huis remained in use as the home of the bakery's administrator.
From 1924 to 1992, the Comenius Museum was housed in the building. And in 2012, the Spanish House was given a further museum function when the Weegschaalmuseum moved into the building.
The Spanish House owes its name to the bloodbath of 1 December 1572. To understand what happened, a short history lesson: several cities in the Habsburg Netherlands had rebelled against Spanish rule. The administrators of Naarden had initially remained loyal to the lord of the Habsburg Netherlands, Philip II, who was also the king of Spain. But in August 1572, Naarden, with the support of the population, fell into the hands of the rebels. The pro-Spanish mayor fled. In the autumn of 1572, the Spanish started a punitive expedition against the cities that supported the rebels. A violent conquest, in which surrender was the only way out. The first city on the route was Naarden.
Naarden did not have a sufficient garrison to defend itself properly, and the fortress walls were also not sufficient to keep the Spanish enemy out. At the same time, the population of Naarden prevented the soldiers from fleeing by blocking the gate with manure and dirt.
On 1 December 1572, the Spanish entered the city. The male population of Naarden was summoned to the city hall, the current Spanish House. They showed up in large numbers, probably because they thought they would hear the terms of surrender there. The male population of Naarden was then slaughtered by the Spanish. The Spanish then marched through the rest of the city. Naarden was then set on fire.
According to the tradition of Lambertus Hortensius, rector of the Latin school at the time and survivor of the massacre, “no fewer than 800 people were murdered on that fateful day in December”.
In 1965 the building was restored and refurbished. The back room with the ovens of the bakery was largely left intact. The front building was furnished to the situation of the early 17th century.
Since 2016, the monument has been in the hands of Monumentenbezit. We work here, as with all our other monuments, on regular maintenance activities. Annually and structurally, our experts carry out work and work on the preservation of the heritage. The Spaanse Huis is one of the many monumental buildings of the Naarden Vesting. The fortifications have had a Unesco world heritage status since 2021, as part of the Dutch Waterline.