Het Broeker Huis
Village hall, restaurant & event venue in Broek in Waterland. Since 1775.
Het Broeker Huis
Built for the poor. Now the village's own.
A monumental building on the Leeteinde in Broek in Waterland. Built in 1775 by city architect Abraham van der Hart, commissioned by the immensely wealthy VOC widow Neeltje Pater. First for the poor, later for the village. Neeltje Pater gave the building to the church, on one condition: never to be used other than for the general benefit of the citizens of Broek in Waterland." That condition still holds today.
Five functions, one house. Restaurant, wedding venue, party venue, meeting venue, village hall and B&B. That sounds like a lot, but it feels like second nature. Coffee for the village in the morning, a meeting in the afternoon, a wedding in the evening. The House adapts — not the other way around.
Why people marry & meet here
(Village) life depends on it.
You can't get married here on a Friday evening. Because that's when the card club takes over the Grote Zaal. Planning something on a Wednesday? Don't let the Broekr mixed choir get wind of your plans. A Sunday-afternoon party? Chances are you'll have to look elsewhere, because on most Sundays we put on something for the village children. Thursday evening? The dinner menu makes way for Donderdaghap at the House: a good plate of food for just €12.50. And a mandatory chat with the person next to you.
These aren't gestures. It's the very reason this house exists. Het Broeker Huis is a village hall. The social and cultural heart of Broek: choir every week, seniors' club, children's theatre, film night, baby massage and pub quizzes. More than sixty events a year. Our door is (almost) always open, the coffee is (almost) always ready, and there's always room for one more. These aren't just nice words on a website: it's the first paragraph of our rental contract.
Maintaining a monumental village hall
Far from free.
Keeping a village hall running costs money. Staff, hours, purchasing, heating, low rates. And maintaining a monumental building of 1,350 m² from 1775? That takes (a lot of) money too — the roof, the facade, the silk wall coverings in the Regentessenkamer, the annual paintwork, permits, colour studies, heritage reports and whatever else comes with it (there's more, trust us).
And that is exactly why the House is also a restaurant, wedding venue and meeting venue. Every wedding, every dinner and every off-site keeps the village hall open and the monument standing. To make sure the generation after us can still come home to their House.
The duo behind the House
Neighbourhood boys 40 years back, on the Breeck.
Thomas spent a career in advertising for the rat race. He lost his heart in the kitchens of Visaandeschelde, the Supperclub and Oedipus. Now he combines creativity with commerce — head and heart in the laptop. Thomas sets the course and runs the business.
Jeppe. Who doesn't know him? The face of Het Broeker Huis for a good thirty years. Jeppe embodies what we are: personal without frills, good without pretension, and always that feeling that you belong — whether you're from the village or from far away. When Jeppe remembers your name — and he does — consider yourself at home.
Fancy a chat over coffee, or building the dream with us?
Broek in Waterland
The prettiest village in the Netherlands. And the House lives here.
Het Broeker Huis isn't doesnt have Broek in Waterland as its home by chance — the two are inseparably intertwined. A village fifteen minutes from Amsterdam that feels like a different time zone. Wooden houses, quiet lanes, water that takes it slow. The highest density of national monuments in the Netherlands, all on one small patch.
Step inside here and you slow down all by yourself. And that's exactly what the House does — bring the village in. What's alive in Broek, you'll taste with us.
What you can do here
Five functions under one, monumental roof.
Village hall
For and by the village for over 250 years. Pub quiz, social club, children's theatre & more.
Restaurant
Open five days a week for coffee & lunch, drinks, dinner & dining with kids.
Weddings
No packages, no obligations. It's your party and you can cry (or smile) if you want to.
Celebrations
Celebrate everything that counts. From birthday to anniversary, from toast to tears and everything in between.
We're looking for people
Two vacancies — starting now.
Het Broeker Huis is growing. We're looking for a cook who can handle both restaurant service and the banquet kitchen.
Leave a standard cover letter sitting in your drafts — energy, a good set of brains & a great story is enough.