Zandvoort has always offered a great deal of space to children who were less fortunate and often lived in impoverished conditions elsewhere. We previously mentioned Dr. Tichelaar, who brought children from Amsterdam to Zandvoort to let them enjoy the sea, beach, and dunes. From the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century, there were several locations where children were cared for in Zandvoort, such as Kijkduin and Groot Kijkduin on Kostverlorenstraat, Groot Kijkduin on Van Speijkstraat, the Haarlem Children’s Home on what is now Thorbeckestraat (the water tower location), Poststraat (Poshuis), Sterre der Zee, and the Amsterdam Holiday Colony, also on Kostverlorenstraat. The latter remained in operation the longest, although the nature of the care had changed to sheltered housing. The museum holds various mementos of these children’s homes. For instance, it possesses the silver trowel used to symbolically lay the first stone of the Haarlem Children’s Home in 1901, and we have several mugs from the Zandvoort Children’s Home. In addition, there are various photographs of the buildings as well as the children and staff members who resided in the homes for long or short periods over more than 100 years.
There are no longer any children’s homes in Zandvoort. Apparently, there is no longer a need for a cheerful and carefree holiday for underprivileged children. The former building of the Amsterdam Holiday Colony on Kostverlorenstraat has now been converted into apartments for wealthy individuals.