Back for a moment to the end of the 16th century. From the Southern Netherlands many people came to our city. Among them the Hals family, consisting of father François, mother Adriana and their sons Joost, Dirck and Frans. The latter, still a toddler at the time, grew into one of the most important painters in Dutch history. A greatness. From all parts of the world, people came and come to Haarlem to see his work, including other great artists, such as Vincent van Gogh. Frans Hals is known for his completely unique style: with a few brushstrokes, he creates an image that, when you stand in front of the painting, seems to move. In professional terms: he painted with a loose touch.
Frans rarely left the city; he was truly wedded to Haarlem. In collaboration with the Frans Hals Museum we have developed a walk that takes you to the Haarlem of the time in which he lived, to his Haarlem. You pass the houses where he lived, the place where he is buried and the place where he often sat in the pub. Because besides all the painting, Frans Hals liked to drink a lot of beer. He wasn't the only one. At that time, just about everyone drank a lot of beer. In itself quite understandable, because the water was often polluted and the alcohol content was lower than it is today.
Frans Hals often drank beer at inn "De Coninck van Vranckrijck. We are not entirely sure, but it could well be that he was friends with the innkeeper. What we do know for sure is that the Smedestraat is still one of the places to be in Haarlem. And especially cocktail bar Wigbolt at number 41. There they serve cocktails inspired by the paintings of the master. In their own words: 'When you look at a painting, you always see something new that catches your attention. We want the same with these drinks. Whoever takes a sip of our cocktails always discovers something new.' The paintings that serve as inspiration hang in the Frans Hals Museum on Groot Heiligland. Of course, alcohol need not always be drunk. Haarlem has even opened the first alcohol-free liquor store in the Netherlands: Nix & Nix. We are proud of that.
