Experience the largest blooming sunflower painting in the world!
In September, immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Vincent van Gogh's "Vase with 15 Sunflowers. The masterpiece will blossom in spectacular fashion at the initiative of Van Gogh National Park and Van Gogh Brabant in Etten-Leur. Unfolding over an impressive 7,000 square meters, this iconic painting transforms into a lush landscape of floral splendor on an idyllically situated meadow near De Menmoerhoeve. This is made possible in part by Natuurhuisje and Takii Europe.
Location
Farm and Recreation Company De Menmoerhoeve, Zundertseweg 66 Etten-Leur
Please note: due to increasing crowds, we recommend making early reservations for lunch or dinner: Look here!
Period for viewing.
Summer 2024; flowering from about the end of augsutus 2024. Full bloom is expected from mid-September. The field will remain open until the end of 2024. The observation tower will remain in place through Oct. 23.
Keep an eye on the social media of Van Gogh National Park for coverage.
Route
Use Google Maps to plan your route to De Menmoerhoeve
Plan
View the map of the location with the painting here
Download the site plan with the painting here
Info
www.jaarvandezonnebloem.nl
Tips
* Combine your sunflower experience with a visit to the center of Etten-Leur (5 km away) including the Van Gogh Church, ( extra until August 25: exhibition 'Helemaal Vincent; de zonnebloemen van Van Gogh'), various sights, stores, restaurants and events. Info Tourist Information Point.
* From De Menmoerhoeve, take the Van Gogh National Park Walk Etten-Leur. The beautiful 14 km route is available at the Tourist Information Point at Markt 4. Or consult the route online at VisitBrabant.
* Cycle the Flower Tour (26 km) from De Menmoerhoeve in Etten-Leur to Zundert (field painting, dahlia fields and Corso construction sites).
* Take a trip to Van Gogh's birthplace of Zundert and visit the Vincent van GoghHuis.
A viewing platform provides a beautiful perspective of the large Van Gogh sunflower field painting at De Menmoerhoeve in Etten-Leur through Oct. 23, 2024, while a footpath constructed with 120 cubic yards (four full trucks) of wood chips leads visitors along the first blooming splendor. Amid grazing horses, cows and sheep, this experience will be a unique fusion of nature and culture - a walk through a brought to life Van Gogh. Don't miss this opportunity to experience nature as a living museum and be enchanted by this biodiverse and extraordinary natural masterpiece!
Reverence and respect for nature
Besides the fact that we are honoring Vincent van Gogh with this large field painting, we are emphatic about the importance of biodiversity. The project will be carried out with reverence and respect for nature. Realization is done entirely on a natural basis! No (artificial) fertilizer is used on the land, all seeds are suitable for organic cultivation and no pesticides or plant protection products are used. While this makes the project risky, it also makes it extra valuable! Together with nature and weather conditions, we are taking up the challenge. A local working group, advised by experts, is making every effort to make this ambitious, challenging, complicated - but oh so wonderful - project a success and to allow visitors to enjoy the emerging greenery from August onwards, followed by an enormous display of flowers.
Hundreds of thousands of seeds
The field painting is realized with over half a million flower seeds from Takii Europe, dahlias from Corso Zundert, wood chips and straw. The frame around the painting has been sown by machine, but for the most part it is handwork carried out by volunteers from the Madese Natuurvrienden, among others. This after a months-long process of preliminary work.
Developments on the field and in the media
Early in the spring, the project went from drawing board to execution and the pasture was worked. A process of milling, cultivating, plowing and leveling. Watch the first video of our volunteer Leo Dekkers here. And watch the news item at Omroep Brabant here.
Unfortunately the wet weather that followed was extremely disappointing: all planted sunflower seeds washed away(News at Omroep Brabant). This item also made the NOS Journaal and the NOS Jeugdjournaal. Because of all the setbacks, tillage and sowing were forced to stop. But the organization remained in good spirits and persevered. Just like Vincent. At the end of June it was make or break and a new (last) attempt was made (video of Omroep Brabant). WNL Goedemorgen Nederland also came along at that time.
In late June and early July, the sowing was done successfully.
Meanwhile, the contours of the field painting are already clearly visible and the first flowers are blooming! Read here the article in BNDeStem (pdf) of August 2. Or. Watch here the reportage made by Omroep Brabant on August 13, 2024.
And then there was also RTL4 Editie NL on August 15. Watch the item back here (starts at about minute 7).
On August 20, NPO Radio 5 paid attention to it. Listen back.
On August 20 NPO Radio 5 paid attention to it. Listen back.
On August 21 attention in China by Emily Cheung, watch here (scroll down the page for the video).
On September 1 an article in Omroep Max Magazine. Read more.
On September 5, ZuidWest TV paid extensive attention . Read more and watch the video.
Flowers
The painting consists of three types of Sunflowers, Calendula/Goudflower, Escholzia/Sleeping Beauty, Dahlias, Poppy and Nigella. Around the painting is a "frame" made of sunflowers with an undermix of Lucerne clover. This will be a feast for the bees, birds, butterflies and other insects. The table on which the vase with 15 sunflowers stands is made of straw.
Made possible by:
Van Gogh National Park (initiator)
Nature cottage (main sponsor)
Takii Europe (supplier of the seeds)
ZLTO (network, knowledge and expertise)
Sponsors:
Municipality of Etten-Leur (various promotional displays)
LandStad De Baronie (provides sensors for visitor registration in cooperation with Marco Sprenkels)
House of Motion Media (Video & drone)
Brabants Landschap (hours, knowledge and expertise)
Martens Oudenbosch (wood chips for the walking paths in and around the artwork)
Telermaat Zundert (acrylic cloth to protect seeds from so-called bird pecking)
Loonbedrijf Monden (straw for the artwork)
Corso Zundert (supplier of dahlias, plant the tubers and maintain them)
Jumbo Supermarkets in Etten-Leur (refreshments for the 'construction crew')
Learn more
www.vangoghnationaalpark.nl
www.jaarvandezonnebloem.nl
www.menmoerhoeve.nl
Contact
More information
Pierre van Damme, project coordinator Van Gogh sunflower field painting (pierre@vangoghbrabant.com)
+31 6 22 11 55 01
Frank van den Eijnden, operations director Van Gogh National Park (frank@vangoghnationaalpark.nl) .
+31 6 53 05 36
