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Campus Development Campus Development

History BG5

The BG5 building along Vendelstraat was originally constructed between 1887 and 1890 as the New Clinical Hospital. It was designed in a modest Neo-Dutch Renaissance style using a pavilion system by the assistant city architect at the time, H. Leguyt, on behalf of the Hospital Board. The building is part of the Binnengasthuis complex, which once accommodated several clinics on its premises. The Binnengasthuis complex holds significant cultural and medical-historical value, as it was part of the expansion and modernisation of old hospitals towards the end of the 19th century. It is also the only large hospital that remains in the city center.

Original Layout

The original building consisted of two long wings, with the west wing serving as a men's clinic and the east wing as a women's clinic. The general facilities were located in the connecting building, creating a U-shaped structure. This connecting building featured a round extension in the courtyard that housed two lecture halls. Former student Jan Jager reminisces about the former academic hospital in an interview:

‘You had internal medicine on the first floor, dermatology on the ground floor and on the laboratories and staff rooms on the second floor. In the middle, there were two circular lecture halls, one above the other. During my internship, we made rounds every Friday afternoon in one of the four patient wards with Professor Borst, internal medicine.’ Jan Jager, former student of Binnengasthuis Hospital
Read the interview with former student Jan Jager here. The story about BG5

Renovations

Until 1981, BG5 was part of the Binnengasthuis Hospital, after which the sub-faculty of Political Science moved in. The first major renovation took place in 1968, when the building received a new three-story wing with a flat roof. This wing has divided the courtyard ever since. In 1988, BG5 underwent its most significant renovation, with the addition of a cafeteria in the building and the covering of the courtyard with a pyramid-shaped transparent bay window. The interior of the building also received substantial modifications in 1988, including the demolition of the large stairwell in the eastern wing. Since then, only internal adaptations have been made to suit the Faculty of Humanities' needs.

Source: Rijksmonumenten.nl - BG5 (Dutch)

View the web lectures: Building Historical Research on BG5 and OMHP

In-depth historical research has been conducted for BG5 and the Oudemanhuispoort (OMHP), offering valuable insights into the buildings' timeline. Architectural historian Hans Vlaardingerbroek presents these findings.

 

Go to the web lectures (in Dutch)