Amsterdam Oud-West , North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Anna Reijnvaan

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 15, 2025

1. Anna Reijnvaan Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Anna Reijnvaan (1844-1920) volgde haar hart. Rijke dochters moesten trouwen, maar Anna wil zieke mensen verzorgen. In 1880 haalt zij als eerste vrouw haar verpleegstersdiploma. Zij gaat meteen werken. Ze krijgt dreigbrieven, maar zet door. Anna Reijnvaan wordt de eerste verpleegkundig-directrice van Nederland in 1883 in het Wilhelmina Gasthuis. Verpleging wordt een vak waarmee je geld verdient. Zij verbetert de gezondheidszorg met een beroepsopleiding, vakbond en vakblad. Voor een sneller herstel maakt zij de ziekenzalen gezellig. Johanna Paulina (Anna) Reijnvaan sterft aan de Spaanse griep. Ze woonde in de Eerste Helmersstraat 97. In 1981 verhuist 'haar' ziekenhuis als AMC naar Zuidoost. In 2018 fuseren AMC en VUmc tot het Amsterdam UMC.

(English translation:)
Anna Reijnvaan (1844-1920) followed her heart. Rich daughters had to marry, but Anna wanted to care for sick people. In 1880, she was the first woman to obtain her nursing diploma. She started working immediately. She received threatening letters, but persevered. Anna Reijnvaan became the first nursing director in the

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Netherlands in 1883 at the Wilhelmina Gasthuis. Nursing became a profession that earned money. She improved healthcare with a vocational training, trade union and trade journal. For a faster recovery, she made the hospital wards cozy. Johanna Paulina (Anna) Reijnvaan died of the Spanish flu. She lived at Eerste Helmersstraat 97. In 1981, 'her' hospital moved to Zuidoost as AMC. In 2018, AMC and VUmc merged to form the Amsterdam UMC.

Erected 2023 by De zaak Muurbloem, Huygens College.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is May 17, 1883.

Location. 52° 21.771′ N, 4° 52.221′ E. Marker is in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (North Holland). It is in Amsterdam Oud-West. It can be reached from Pesthuislaan. The marker is located in a courtyard on the grounds of the former hospital complex (Wilhelmina-Gasthuis), now more commonly referred to as the WG-terrein. The closest entrance from the street to the marker is at Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat and Eerste Helmerstraat, less than 100 meters to the southeast. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1054 SP, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

Atlantic Europe,

the Benelux Low Countries,

the Schengen Area,

Western Europe,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire

and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaanse (within shouting distance of this marker); WG-terrein (compound)

Anna Reijnvaan Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 15, 2025

2. Anna Reijnvaan Marker - wide view

(about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Jeltje de Bosch Kemper (about 120 meters away); Ite Boerma (about 120 meters away); Gerard Borst (about 150 meters away); Arie Biemond (about 210 meters away); Koningin Wilhelmina / Queen Wilhelmina (about 210 meters away); Kanaalstraat / Canal Street (about 240 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amsterdam.

Also see . . .
1. Anna Reijnvaan – biografie (Atria, in Dutch). The QR code on the marker leads to her biography. Excerpt (in translation):

Anna Reijnvaan (born Johanna Paulina Reijnvaan, also spelled Reynvaan) was educated by a French governess. At the time, this was customary in a family from the well-to-do middle class. Reijnvaan remained living at home unmarried, but she was not satisfied with this limited existence. In 1870 she decided to go to Germany to help care for the wounded in the Franco-German war, but her father forbade it. In 1880, when she was already 36, she obtained her diploma from the newly established training for lay nurses, in which Jonkvrouw Jeltje de Bosch Kemper was involved.
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Initially without her father's permission, she started her first job at the private Burgerziekenhuis. She worked night shifts there, so that she could sneak out of the house unnoticed at night. However, she soon exchanged the Burgerziekenhuis, which was modern and well-organized for that time, for the unprofessional and 'public' Binnengasthuis, and later for the Buitengasthuis, where the level of hygiene and care was even lower.

From 17 May 1883, as deputy director, she headed the large-scale and much-needed operation to professionalise nursing at the Buitengasthuis together with director J. van Deventer, and thus improve healthcare. She introduced hospital clothing for the patients, and uniforms, night shifts and a nurses' training course for the nurses at the Buitengasthuis. The training course set up by Reijnvaan at the Buitengasthuis soon served as a blueprint for other nurses' training courses in the country. Anna Reijnvaan thus became one of the founders of modern hospital nursing in the Netherlands.

(Submitted on March 15, 2025.)

2. Herinneringsbord Anna Reynvaan onthuld (Stadsdorp Vondel Helmers, in Dutch). Article concerning the marker dedication (in translation):

A few enthusiastic local residents want to make women, who have meant a lot to society but were forgotten, visible with a memorial in the public space. That is why they started De Zaak Muurbloem. They applied to the municipality for a neighborhood budget and sought cooperation with students from the Huygens College. Their first project is a historical marker for Anna Reynvaan that is located on the WG site and was unveiled on December 20, 2023.

(Submitted on March 15, 2025.)

Additional keywords. Herinneringsbord

Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 108 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.