Begijnhof, Amsterdam

Hidden behind a modest gateway in the busy city centre, this enclosed courtyard was founded in the fourteenth century as a home for beguines, pious laywomen who lived in community without taking formal vows. Ringed by narrow houses, it includes the Houten Huys, one of the two oldest wooden houses in Amsterdam, and a discreet hidden Catholic chapel from the Reformation era. The garden and surrounding facades create a pocket of stillness a few steps from the shopping streets. Visitors are asked to keep quiet, as residents still live here today.