The Bossu houses
In 1573 an exciting sea battle took place in the harbor of Hoorn during the Eighty Years' War. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was in that year in the middle of an independence struggle against their legal ruler, the Catholic King of Spain.
At the beginning of October, the Spanish admiral Bossu with his fleet headed for the Zuiderzee to switch off the Dutch fleet. Willem the Silent and the Beggars knew how to chop the Spaniards with their strong tactics and a favorable wind direction. The Spanish fleet was ruthlessly defeated. Bossu was subsequently held prisoner in Hoorn for three years.
Three facades on the corner of the Slapershaven and the Grote Oost tell the story of the sea battle in words and pictures. These houses were built around 1612. Over the centuries, the Bossu houses, as the three buildings are called, have been considerably transformed. Originally the houses all had a similar stepped gable. The interior also changed with the times.
What continued to exist over time is the frieze, the stone ornamental belt, on the three buildings. The images on this take you to the sea battle of 1573.