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Hermitage Amsterdam
from nursing home to museum
ISBN: 9789078653110
(HB - E)
€
In 1683 a monumental structure overlooking the Amstel opened its doors to impoverished elderly women.The Almonry's Home for Aged Women would soon provide shelter to elderly men as well, and then in the twentieth century evolve into the Amstelhof nursing home. In June 2009, following a complete renovation, the building re-opened with a magnificent new function.Thanks to a Dutch-Russian collaboration it now houses a world-class museum: the Hermitage Amsterdam.This book describes in words and pictures some three centuries of faith-based care for the poor on the banks of the Amstel. It sketches the progress from competent charity to professional geriatrics and portrays the many residents and caregivers who once populated the Amstehof. The book also evokes the close contacts between Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg that ultimately resulted in the creation of the Hermitage. It goes on to provide an account of the metamorphosis that transformed the Amstelhof into the Hermitage Amsterdam.
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