Rembrandt was born on 15 July 1606 in this alley. He lived here until 1631. Other family members were also living in this neighbourhood and his father owned several houses. On the western side of the alley a heavy city wall was situated, topped by twoo windmills. One of them was owned by Rembrandt’s grandmother for a while. On the other side of the wall, were small gardens for the city’s inhabitants. Rembrandt bought one of these gardens in 1630, both for recreational and for investment purposes.