


Snouck van Loosenhuis
The Snouck van Loosenhuis is a prominent townhouse on the Oude Haven of Enkhuizen. The 18th century part was the former home of the Snouck van Loosen family, who acquired their wealth through trade during the time of the East India and West India Company.
The family lived in the house until 1885, when this branch of the family died out with Maria Snouck van Loosen. Maria left her possessions to a support fund and stipulated in her will that the house should be furnished “for habitation by unmarried women or widows, from the respectable class.”
The builder of the original house with dome (1742) was merchant and mayor Dirk Semeyns van Loosen. In 1786 his nephew, Dirk Elias van Loosen, inherited the building and expanded it by purchasing two plots on the left side. The building was given a new rear house in neo-renaissance style and was officially opened as a ladies’ house in 1893.
Since then, time has virtually stood still in the Snouck van Loosenhuis.
Unique interior details
The grand rooms on the right, dating from 1742, are decorated with dark red velvet d’Utrecht wallpapers and a richly decorated mantelpiece, crowned with a chimney breast in a lavishly carved frame. On either side of the mantelpiece are display cabinets, decorated with rococo ornaments and gilded lead trim.
The left front room dates in its current state from 1892. The original neoclassical interior was partly replaced by an old mantelpiece and gold leather wallpaper, originating from a garden room that was demolished in 1890. The only preserved 18th-century painted ceiling is located in the dome of the house.
This space still contains many elements from the construction period, such as panelling, a chimney, a former sitter and a buffet niche.
Basement
In the basement, the cooking and working kitchen stand out. The enormous marble countertops, the china cabinets and the monumental stove breathe an atmosphere of times gone by.