Long may we live!
Home for retired sailors (1936) C. Elffers
Orientation and identity
The elderly were segregated not only by age but also on the basis religion, social class, gender and profession. This home was designed specially for retired sailors in the 1930s by C. Elffers. The large building in the dunes at Egmond aan Zee does not immediately call to mind a care institution.
The home contains 145 single rooms and twenty-three rooms for married couples. It also contains a museum of maritime items and a swimming pool. Maritime elements are also included in the decoration. Stained glass, paintings and drawings of nautical themes and exterior paths lined with seashells reaffirm the identity of former seafarers. Only the words 'afdeeling' (department) and 'kamers' (rooms) in the signage evoke the atmosphere of a care institution rather than a ship's interior.