About this tour
Did Johannes Gutenberg really invent printing? Haarlem has a different story to tell! Walk through the historic streets where Laurens Janszoon Coster allegedly discovered movable type, visit the Enschedé printing museum still active after 300+ years, and explore the cultural legacy that made Haarlem a European center of knowledge and literature.
Itinerary
13 guided stops on this route
Costerstandbeeld — The Statue of a Legend
Bronze statue by Amsterdam sculptor Louis Royer (1793–1868), unveiled 1856. Stone pedestal ~3 m, designed by architect H.T.G. Tetar van Elven; bronze ~3 m, cas…
Grote Markt 25 — The Birthplace That Probably Wasn't
Grote Markt 25 is traditionally named as Coster's birthplace — a 17th-century building, not a 14th-century one. The 'Costeriana' are ~50 surviving incunabula i…
Grote of Sint-Bavokerk — The World Before Print
Late-Gothic church built c. 1370–1520; crossing tower 78 m with wooden spire. Before printing, Bibles were hand-copied manuscripts — a scribe could need a year…
Klokhuisplein — Where the Printing Museum Stood
Museum Enschedé: operational at Klokhuisplein 5 from 1904 to 1990 — 86 years. Held tens of thousands of metal type punches, proof blocks, designs and archive m…
Joh. Enschedé — 300 Years of Printing
Founded 21 June 1703 by Izaak Enschedé (1681–1761) at the Haarlem Printers' Guild. Early specialism: Hebrew, scientific, musical and later Braille type. Acquir…
Janskerk — Where the Enschedé Archive Lives Today
Former Knights Hospitaller Commandery — the Janskerk dates from the 14th century. Since 2015: home of the Enschedé collection — hundreds of metres of archive s…
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What's included
GPS-guided walking route
Interactive quizzes at each stop
Fascinating stories and facts
Lifetime access to the tour
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