Found church tythe coins
special thanks to Joep Neefjes, initiator of De Achterstraat, predecessor of Hotel Maria Kapel

In 1983, after years of neglect, the Mariakapel was put into use by Stichting De Achterstraat, led by initiator Joep Neefjes. After various purposes - from chapel, artillery house, church, boxing school and discotheque - the chapel was henceforth used as a place where (international) artists were invited to produce and present a new work. Shortly after receiving the key, several coins were found among the floorboards, which most probably did not manage to find their way to the collection bag during church services. Joep kept them in an envelope for years and left them as part of a large donation of archival material at Hotel Maria Kapel in the run-up to the anniversary exhibition Bubbling Under in 2023. 

De Achterstraat existed from 1983 to 1996, with a large-scale renovation in 1993, after which the front of the building served as a café and the newly constructed basement was equipped with a cinema for Filmhuis Hoorn. In the following years, the chapel space was used as the second location of the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. In 2003, Hotel Maria Kapel [HMK] was established; an artist-in-residence where artists stay for a period of time in the adjacent guesthouse and work on a new work of art in the chapel. In 2007, the different parts of the building were brought together and HMK uses the entire chapel, including reception area and cinema, to facilitate and showcase a wide range of experimental contemporary art projects to a wide audience. 

HMK is proud of the rich history of the building and the many special projects that took place here. With endless dedication, many people, such as Joep Neefjes, have contributed to the (continued) existence of the chapel and its activities.