Leiden almshouses.... Mierennest almshouses The Gerrit Lams Begijn almshouses were situated here in the Middle Ages, which came under the control of the Reformed Parish after the Reformation. They allowed poor people to live here. The Dutch word "mierennest" means "anthill" or quite literally "ants' nest". The word "nest" was often employed to refer to dilapidated backstreets and an ants' nest would seem quite appropriate to refer to a community teeming with people. We can therefore conclude that these houses were fairly over-populated. The houses were sold by public auction in 1731 and were bought by one of the churchwardens, Diederik van Leyden. He stipulated in his will that the houses should be transformed into a group of almshouses, and this his son faithfully carried out. In the course of time the condition of the houses gradually declined, until in 1981/82 extensive restorations took place.
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