Last weekend we spent in the Netherlands as our niece turned 1 and her parents organized a birthday party on Saturday. We thought that it was for our family to have a nice relaxing gathering and some quality time together.
Frankly, we were wrong. The party was for 23 kids and 30 adults. It was everything but relaxing. We had a lot of fun but also needed some quiet time on Sunday. Before heading back to Switzerland, we went for a walk to 's-Hertogenbosch. However, we didn't know that all shops would be open and that there would be so many people around.
Luckily my husband knows the city very well and we found some quiet places as well. Would you like to join us? 😊
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's-Hertogenbosch and Jheronimus Bosch
's-Hertogenbosch is the capital city of the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. It is also known as 'Den Bosch' which is much easier to pronounce for those who don't speak Dutch.
Jheronimus Bosch (Jeroen van Aken) was born here in 1450. He was a painter with very provocative style for that time. His vision had enormous influence during his lifetime. Even though he was born in Den Bosch, the city didn't own any of his original paintings. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of his death in 2016, the museum in the city managed to bring together the majority of his work in an exhibition.
There are also many sculptures around the city inspired by his paintings. Keep your eyes open as a lot of them are hidden behind the corners or under the bridges.
We have seen a few of them during our short walk...
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The Garden of Earthly Delights - Giraffe
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The Garden of Earthly Delights - A pair of giant ears, pierced by an arrow, wield a large knife
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The Garden of Earthly Delights - A pig wearing a nun’s habit
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I leave this one to your imagination 😊
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And here is Jeroen Bosch's bronze statue in the middle of the old town standing on the stone pedestal. The statue was created in 1929 by sculptor August Falise and placed in 1930 right in front of the house in which Jeroen spent his childhood.
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There are many more statues depicting his paintings and we will continue looking for them once we're back in the city. But now, let's continue with our walk...
Binnendieze
Den Bosch is very well known for its canals. Hop on a boat and explore the medieval city and its history from the river. You get to see various parts of the underground world of Den Bosch and the experienced guide will tell you any gossip about the city that you wish to hear 😊
This time we stayed above the water though...
You can see countless bridges over the river Binnendieze.
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But also houses that are build above the river. Can you imagine living in a house like this?
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In the past the river was used as a place for laundry, fishing, water supply and 'a toilet' - very interesting combination, I know. In the second half of the 20th century, the river almost disappeared due to the construction of the canalization system.
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In 1972 the river inside of the city was protected and 4 kilometers out of 12 were saved. If you would ever visit Den Bosch, make sure to book the underground tour as it's really worth it. The tour is only available between March and October each year.
Shall we go to De Bossche Draak now?
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De Bossche Draak
De Bossche Draak is located in front of the train station. It is a fountain with a golden dragon on its top. It's one of the most important symbols of the city. It's built on the busiest square of Den Bosch, with lots of traffic and people hurrying to and from the train station.
On the way to the fountain we met these two lovers. I like how they are flirting with each other 😊
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We crossed Wilhelminabrug (Wilhelmina Bridge) over the river Dommel. There are nice views from the bridge.
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And the other side of the city...
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The original bridge was built in 1874. It had to be replaced a couple of times because it was seriously damaged and the bridge that we see today was built in 1954. The artwork that is placed on the pillars was done by Frans van der Burgt. It shows the history of the city from 1185 when Den Bosch was founded.
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We continued to the train station for a few minutes before we finally came to De Bossche Draak. The monument was built due to tragic events that happened in the family of Queen's Commissioner in 1881.
He had twin daughters. One of the daughters died on November 19th, and the other one died one day later. Three years later his wife died as well. When he died in 1894, he left 10,000 guilders to the city to build a fountain in memory of his daughters and his wife.
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Our last stop today will be the St. John's Cathedral.
Sint-Janskathedraal
The Cathedral dates back to the early 13th century. It is one of the largest and most beautiful Gothic buildings in the Netherlands. It was built as a church and became a cathedral in 1559.
The church became protestant less than a century after its completion. Most of the decoration was destroyed during this time. The church became catholic again in 1810 after intervention of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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In front of the cathedral there is a bronze statue of Saint John the Evangelist with an eagle created by Mari Andriessen in 1963.
Are you ready to go inside of the cathedral?
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The interior is decorated with many statues and beautiful woodwork. Most of the art was lost or removed after the church became protestant but many pieces were returned in the 19th century.
I've been to the cathedral many times and I always find something new and intriguing. I'm looking forward to the Christmas season when it will be beautifully decorated.
If you want to learn more about the cathedral and its history, you can book one of the guided tours that are available in several languages.
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The cathedral is also famous for its stained glass windows. I will let the photos speak for themselves.
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We have enjoyed our afternoon in Den Bosch but now it's time to head back to our rental car and drive to the airport so that we don't miss our flight.
I hope you have enjoyed our tour 😊
Thank you for reading,
Cheers,
Martina
Samsung Galaxy S7
As usually, all photos are taken by my Nikon D3200 AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II (except of the ones indicated in the text)
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