Back In Time With Amersfoortse Gidsen At Kuiperij Meester

Reading Time: 3 minutes | Last updated: September 25, 2025 |Author: Mylena Rietdijk |

Do you want to (re)discover Amersfoort? Stroll through our city with Amersfoortse Gidsen. They offer all kinds of tours and walks, where you can admire the hidden gems in and around the medieval center. Highly recommended!

At first glance, the Hellestraat looks like a fairly ordinary shopping street. Visitors can go there for a nice lunch or to store at the local supermarket and other stores. However, what is often overlooked is that among the new buildings from the 20th century is a special piece of heritage. So time to pay more attention to that!

During a tour of the Amersfoort City Guides you will visit the old cooperage workshop and the home of the last cooper of Amersfoort. The building, where three generations of Meester worked, was restored after 2015 while preserving the 17th-century details.

In the small museum in the former living room, the guides tell you about the craft. You can also see a hand-drawn cooper's manual, made by city guide Inge. She also makes other fun things, like an Amersfoort calendar and games. Be sure to check out the webshop of Amersfoortse Gidsen!;-)

From the courtyard there is a beautiful view of the Lange Jan (Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren). The chimes sound extra good here, thanks to the quiet surroundings. The yard itself is also impressive: there stand two poor houses from the 19th century, once rented to poor workers. With their bedsteads, fireplace and stone floor tiles, it is almost impossible to imagine that people actually lived here.

In the two remaining workshops of the cooper you can see the craft come to life. The first is pure handicraft, the second shows the rise of machines. Everything seems still in use: wood chips on the workbench, a calendar from 1985 on the wall and a to-do list on the chalkboard. As if the cooper could return at any moment.