Begijnhof (Beguines' court): View of the courtyard

View of the courtyard ; The Begijnhof is the only inner court in Amsterdam which was founded during the Middle Ages, and therefore lies within the Singel - the innermost canal of Amsterdam's circular canal system. The Begijnhof is at medieval street level, which means a meter below the rest of the old city center. It is unclear when exactly the Begijnhof was founded. In 1346, the beguines still lived in a house (a document of that time mentioned a beghynhuys). A courtyard was only first mentioned in 1389.