Elisabeth van Thuringenfonds

The Stichting Elisabeth van Thüringenfonds is a Dutch heritage foundation based in Haarlem, Netherlands. Since 1977 it has operated as a cooperative body between the Spaarne Gasthuis hospital and the Municipality of Haarlem, with the mission of managing and preserving the art-historical and cultural heritage of the Spaarne Gasthuis and its predecessor institutions. Its collections range from artworks and everyday objects to the recorded stories of staff and patients, together documenting the history of care, dedication and humanity in Haarlem and the surrounding region. The foundation is named after Elisabeth van Thüringen, a figure associated with the medieval origins of hospital care in Haarlem. Its work is not commercial in the conventional sense: rather than selling products, it acts as a custodian of a hospital's material and immaterial heritage. The foundation's activities include conservation and restoration of paintings and objects, documentation and research, and public communication through its website and news updates. It also supports the idea that art and care form a strong team, a theme it promotes explicitly. Recent activities illustrate its role. In October 2025 the Haarlem city council chose the Egelantier as the new location for the Frans Hals Museum, which will occupy the former Elisabeth Gasthuis building. In September 2025 an 18th-century clock made by the Frisian clockmaker Rinse Durks was rehung in a meeting room of the Spaarne Gasthuis; such clocks once hung in the Sint Elisabeth Gasthuis in Haarlem. In June 2025 a restored portrait of director Kersbergen (1873–1958), painted in 1938 and damaged during an internal move, was returned to the wall of the Spaarne Gasthuis. The foundation is a private, not-for-profit entity. It does not have publicly listed shares and is governed as a stichting under Dutch law. Its small team works with the hospital and the municipality, and its public presence is mainly through its Dutch-language website, which publishes news about its collection, restorations and heritage projects. Because it is a heritage body rather than a commercial brand, its 'offerings' are its collections, exhibitions, publications and preservation services rather than consumer products.

The Stichting Elisabeth van Thüringenfonds was established in 1977 as a cooperative foundation between the Spaarne Gasthuis and the Municipality of Haarlem. Its purpose is to manage and preserve the art-historical heritage of the Spaarne Gasthuis and its predecessor institutions, which trace their roots to older hospital foundations in Haarlem. The foundation is named after Elisabeth van Thüringen, a name linked to the medieval Sint Elisabeth Gasthuis in Haarlem, one of the city's historic care institutions. Over the decades the foundation has cared for a varied collection that includes paintings, clocks, furniture, medical and everyday objects, and archival material. It also collects the stories of staff and patients, treating them as part of the hospital's intangible heritage. The foundation's work is guided by the idea that art and care form a strong team, a theme it promotes on its website. In the 2020s the foundation has remained active in restoration and public communication. In June 2025 a portrait of director Kersbergen (1873–1958), painted in 1938, was restored after being damaged during an internal move and returned to the walls of the Spaarne Gasthuis. In September 2025 an 18th-century clock by the Frisian clockmaker Rinse Durks was rehung in a meeting room of the hospital; such clocks had once hung in the Sint Elisabeth Gasthuis. In October 2025 the Haarlem city council chose the Egelantier, the former Elisabeth Gasthuis building, as the new location for the Frans Hals Museum, a decision that connects the city's art museum with the historic hospital site the foundation documents. The foundation operates as a private, not-for-profit stichting under Dutch law. It does not have listed shares and is not a commercial enterprise in the usual sense. Its public profile is maintained through its Dutch-language website, where it publishes news about its collection, restorations and heritage projects. Through these activities it continues to preserve the memory of hospital care in Haarlem and the surrounding region.

• 2025

  A restored 1938 portrait of director Kersbergen (1873–1958) is returned to the Spaarne Gasthuis after being damaged during an internal move.

• 2025

  An 18th-century clock by the Frisian clockmaker Rinse Durks is rehung in a meeting room of the Spaarne Gasthuis.

• 2025

  The Haarlem city council chooses the Egelantier, the former Elisabeth Gasthuis, as the new location for the Frans Hals Museum.

• 1977

  The Stichting Elisabeth van Thüringenfonds is founded as a cooperative foundation between the Spaarne Gasthuis and the Municipality of Haarlem.

A non-profit heritage foundation safeguarding the art and history of hospital care in Haarlem, operating as a partnership between the Spaarne Gasthuis and the Municipality of Haarlem.

• Spaarne Gasthuis art and heritage collection

  Paintings, clocks, furniture, medical and everyday objects, and archival material documenting the hospital's history.

• Restoration projects

  Conservation and restoration of works such as the Kersbergen portrait and the Rinse Durks clock.

• Heritage news and publications

  News items and public communication about the foundation's activities and collection.

1. 1Elisabeth van Thuringenfonds – Kunst in de zorgelisabethvanthuringenfonds.nl
2. 2Wikidata Q136542857wikidata.org