Haarlem’s most famous museum exhibits works by some of Holland's greatest old masters, many of whom were influenced by the Haarlem School of painting. Nearly all the pieces date from the Dutch Golden Age in the 16th and 17th centuries when Haarlem was a major centre for painting and was even nicknamed the ‘City of Painters’. You can easily spend hours, if not a full day, admiring landscapes by Jacob van Ruisdael, portraits by Frans Hals, still lifes by Jan Steen, religious paintings by Maarten van Heemskerck or famous sea battles by Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom. Frans Hals’ civic guard paintings are the museum’s highlight and therefore shouldn’t be missed. The building itself, which dates back to 1609, is also an attraction. It once served as accommodation for elderly men and later became an orphanage before the Frans Hals Museum moved here in 1913.