People in Dordrecht know this large mansion in a slight bend in the Voorstraat as 'De Blije Hoek', the oldest day care centre in the Netherlands (1877-2014). However, the history of this building goes back much further. In the seventeenth century, it was a so-called children's home, where children of working women, as well as widowers and widows, were taken care of. The deceptive date of 1651 is printed on the façade, but the building behind it is over 200 years older. In the 16th century, three smaller houses with a stepped gable stood here. In the seventeenth century, a prominent citizen of Dordrecht bought the house on the right: Elias van den Broucke, member of the Old Council of Dordrecht. In those days, the stepped gable was hopelessly old-fashioned, so he had a classicist list gable put in front of it. In 1679, his brother bought the other two buildings. He replaced most of them with new buildings and had a façade put in front of them that matched his brother's almost perfectly. Inside, the building has a vaulted cellar, old roofs, painted beams, marble floors and fireplaces and beautifully carved staircases.
- Year built: 1651
- Original function: Nursery
