Staalhof, Guild house in central Amsterdam, Netherlands
Staalhof is a guild house in central Amsterdam located at the corner of Staalstraat and Groenburgwal. Its preserved facade was designed by Pieter de Keyser in 1641 and displays characteristic architectural features from that era.
The building was established in 1641 as a center for Amsterdam's cloth industry where inspectors examined textile quality. In 1829 a section was redesigned in neo-Gothic style and later became home to an English church.
The building served as the meeting place for cloth inspectors who gave the place its name through their work examining fabric quality. Visitors can still sense this trade connection through the layout and design of the rooms.
The building is easily visible from the street at its central corner location in the old city. Access to the interior is limited since it now houses various businesses, but the facade can be appreciated from the street.
Rembrandt painted a famous portrait in 1662 of five cloth inspectors who worked in this building. The painting captures not just the men but also the importance of this trade institution in Amsterdam's economic life.
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