About 100 years ago, Chris Kroon started a café-restaurant in the building at the front of the outer harbour. At the time, the Concordia club was also located here.
Mr. Kroon quickly realized that when the adjacent building on Prinsensteeg was offered for sale, it was a great opportunity. This allowed him to expand the café with hotel rooms. He bought the building and asked contractor Hielke van der Zee, the great-grandfather of the current construction firm, to renovate it. This had to be fast, as the first guests were expected to spend the night there right away! A century ago, permit applications were more relaxed! Later, other properties were also acquired in the direction of Prinsenstraat. The hotel’s entrance used to be on Prinsensteeg as well; the first door led to the front hall, which was below street level, and the second to the café and restaurant.
Kroon, married to Hendrika Elisabeth Wiersma, had four children: Trijntje, Marie, Wim (the well-known musician), and Willie (known from the duo “the Wilgré’s”). The eldest daughter, Trijntje, was married to Piet Miedema. Before World War II, they had a bakery in Sneek. Times were hard, so father Kroon asked if they would take over the hotel. Their sons Piet and Chris joined the business in the 1950s. They later started a hospitality business on Terschelling.
In the 1960s, Klaas Homminga became the new owner. Eddy Bolman also ran the hotel and lived with his family above the business. In 1978, the hotel was for sale, and after much deliberation, Cobi and André Postma, both experienced in hospitality, became the new owners.
In 1983, the property Zeeburg – the former sailmaker’s workshop of Schuil (previously the Zeeburg club from 1829–1951; after the fire in 1771, the Frisian Admiralty was also housed in this building) – was acquired. Since then, the hotel has been modernized and expanded, now featuring a beautiful terrace and meeting today’s standards. The management is now in the hands of daughters Tessa and Jenny Postma.
The mural still reminds us of the time when Chris Kroon started this café-restaurant around 1905. Craftsmanship is mastery.
As Oud Harlingen, we are very happy that Klaes Posthuma, restoration and decorative painter, still lives in our city and has been reviving the murals ever since the beginning of this project.
As you can imagine, restoring the murals has created a large financial gap. The municipality of Harlingen supports this project with a subsidy, and from the Cooperative Fund of Rabobank Leeuwarden-Northwest Friesland, our association, as you may recall, received a cheque for ƒ9000 last November for this project. We hope, weather permitting, to restore the mural on the building Zuiderhaven 81 / corner Brouwersstraat as soon as possible, and definitely before winter: Dodge & Lloyd on the front facing Zuiderhaven and GRUNO, a bicycle brand, on the side wall facing Brouwersstraat.
Our hotel rooms combine history with comfort. Some of the rooms have recently been renovated with attention to detail and a warm, contemporary atmosphere. Whether you choose a classically decorated room or a fresh, modernized version, at Hotel Zeezicht you are guaranteed a relaxing stay in a unique seaside location.
Stay in one of our comfortable rooms and wake up to views of the Harlingen harbour. Book now and enjoy comfort, hospitality, and a unique location.
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A unique stay by the harbour of Harlingen, with stunning views of the Wadden Sea. Enjoy comfortable rooms, culinary indulgence, and the perfect base for a visit to the Wadden Islands.
Zuiderhaven 1
8861 CJ HARLINGEN
The Netherlands
For more information
receptie@hotelzeezicht.nl
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