Since 1548
The Kaerskorf
An icon of Delft
De Blauwe Roos is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Delft. The place where the shop is located was already built on in the 13th century. After the great city fire of 1536, the then wooden building was rebuilt in stone. From 1548 onwards, the house is mentioned in documents as ‘de Kaerskorf’, referring to the profession of the then resident: candle (‘kaers’) maker.
In 1598, the superstructure of the building was raised and provided with the characteristic stepped gable. While families lived on the upper floors of the house, often with many children, various professions were practiced on the ground floor and in the basement of the house.
The Delft city archives mention ‘jug potters’, jug sellers, vase and glass sellers, tailors, tobacco and wine merchants, paint and hardware sellers and antique dealers as the respective professional categories that conducted their trade in the Kaerskorf over the centuries.
In the second half of the 19th century the building fell into serious disrepair. The stepped gable collapsed and was replaced by a simple gable roof. The original windows and shutters also disappeared.
In 1962, the Kaerskorf, together with the adjacent building, was purchased in a severely neglected state by the Hendrick de Keyser Association. Both houses were thoroughly renovated and – based on a drawing from 1832 – returned to their original state.
The Kaerskorf has been a protected national monument since 1967.
