page_title: Schutterij
section_title: Training grounds
hierarchical_section_title: Schutterij / Training grounds
caption_attribution_description: Inscription above the door of the Haarlem public library (building previously owned by the St. Adrian Civic Guard): "In 1572 quam hier de Spaense vyant Die met ons als met Naerden meenden te leve Wij weerstonden hem Vroom vechtender Hand Maer door hongersnoot mosten wij 't opgeve" Translation: In 1572 the Spanish enemy came here to treat us the same way as Naarden We withstood him, fighting bravely But from hunger we had to give up
context_page_description: Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces within the city, near the city walls, but, when the weather did not allow, inside a church. They are mostly grouped according to their district and to the weapon that they used: bow, crossbow or gun. Together, its members are called a Schuttersgilde, which could be roughly translated as a "shooter's guild". It is now a title applied to ceremonial shooting clubs and to the country's Olympic rifle team.
context_section_description: The schutters (traditionally archers) or cloveniers (musket bearers) met at target practice grounds called Doelen (targets). These fields were generally adjoining a large building where they met indoors for gymnastic exercises and held their meetings. It was in these great halls where the large group portraits hung for centuries, and many paintings suffered dramatically from enthusiastic gymnasts over the years. These locations were not the only place the schutters met each other. These guilds also kept altars in local churches, where they met for religious reasons. Most schutterij guilds had as patron saints Saint Sebastian, Saint Anthony, Saint George (St. Joris in Dutch), or Adrian of Nicomedia (Dutch: St. Adriaen). These religious duties were a significant part of the guild membership since that is also where they paid their dues.
  After the Protestant Reformation, all the altars were disbanded in the Dutch Reformed churches in the Northern Netherlands, and membership dues were no longer paid in church, but at the city hall. In Amsterdam, the guilds were no longer allowed to make rules or spend money on their own, but in Haarlem, there were two guilds who kept their original rules (St. Adriaen and St. Joris), such as holding banquets and collecting for sick members or widows. Though they moved premises several times, some of the old Haarlem schutterij Doelen halls still stand where the schutters met and where their group paintings hung, though these paintings are now preserved carefully in the Frans Hals Museum.
caption: Above the door: "In 1572 the Spanish enemy came here to treat us the same way as Naarden. We withstood him, fighting bravely, but from hunger we had to give up."
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