Oudemanhuispoort, Amsterdam, around 1900
An Oudemannenhuis was a hostel where men over the past sixty years could wear their last days. An old man's house is considered to be a precursor of an elderly home. Oudemannenhuizen were first built in the 16th century, because there were courtyards for poor elderly people. The oldest courtyards date from the 13th century, in these courts the elderly had to take care of themselves. Because older men could take care of themselves less than women, they built old-age homes. The courts were now almost exclusively intended for women, for women who were unable to take care of themselves, there were former women's homes that were often combined with former mansions.
Like the courtyards, former mansions were often built as charity, living in an old man's home was usually free and was considered a favor. Like the courts for women, regents were in the hands of former mansions and, like the charity courts, the houses had a regency room where the reigns could meet. The regents demanded that the residents behave in a virtuous manner, so church visit was mandatory and women's visit or drinking was forbidden. If the rules were violated, the rules usually followed house arrest. The residents of former mansions usually lived in a room where they only had a bedside.
Some former mansions have still been preserved, but they have got a different destination. For example, in the former old man's house in Haarlem, the Frans Halsmuseum is now located. In Amsterdam the Oudemanhuispoort is still on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. Furthermore, former mansions were preserved in The Hague, Alkmaar, Breda, Goes, Gouda, Hoorn and Zaltbommel. Older men could also be in a Provencal home, but staying in a Provencal home was not free, the men had to buy.
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