Women & Architecture Tour
Women & Architecture Tour: Discover Haarlem Through Women's Stories
This season, Women of Haarlem is launching a long-term collaboration with Gebouwen door Vrouwen. Our first project together: a walking tour that looks at Haarlem's architecture from a perspective too often overlooked — the women who shaped it.
WHAT: A guided walking tour through Haarlem's historic city centre, exploring the many ways women have shaped the city's built environment — as patrons and clients, architects, landscape architects, designers, residents, and everyday users. Some are celebrated pioneers, others have remained largely invisible, despite their lasting impact on the city we see today.
Along the route, we'll meet Margaret Staal-Kropholler, the Netherlands' first female architect; Elze van den Baan, landscape architect; Grada Wolffensperger, one of the first women to study civil engineering at TU Delft; and Keetje Hodshon, whose patronage helped shape Haarlem's architectural history. We'll also follow the traces of the School voor Bouwkunde, Versierende Kunsten en Kunstambachten, Haarlem's academy for architecture and applied arts, and use its history to explore how women gradually gained access to architectural education — tracing the profession's evolution from women in interior and decorative arts to the emergence of female architects and the work of two contemporary practitioners.
The tour is guided by two experts whose perspectives complement one another: Oana Stan, art historian and founder of Women of Haarlem, and Sofiie Brunschot, architect, author, and founder of Gebouwen door Vrouwen — combining art history, architectural history, and women's stories to reveal a different side of Haarlem.
WHEN: Friday 28 August, 15:00–16:30
TICKETS: €30 per person
Whether you're passionate about architecture, curious about Haarlem's history, or simply looking to experience the city from a fresh perspective, we'd love to welcome you on the walk. Come and discover the stories that have long been hidden in plain sight.
