Open Monument Day

Brabant turns into one big museum during Heritage Days. The theme this year is 'Living Heritage'. On September 9 and 10, all 46 Van Gogh Monuments can also be viewed from the outside, but at quite a few you can also go inside (for free) and participate in various activities. On this page an overview.

Breda

This city is the birthplace of the Van Gogh family in Brabant. One of the famous Van Gogh monuments is the Great Church. Vincent's grandfather was pastor here for a long time. The church in the heart of downtown is free to visit on both Saturday and Sunday. The internationally renowned artist Mandy den Elzen uses classical techniques to pay tribute to the diversity of Breda's wild plant species. In the Grote Kerk Breda, the collected, described and embalmed plants are brought together in a growing installation and supplemented during the exhibition with new finds. The plants and their story become a monument, so to speak, dedicated to the importance of green in a city. This is the last chance to view the now complete installation.
All weekend you can also climb the tower of the church free of charge!
Info program Big Church Breda

Zundert

Vincent's hometown of Zundert unpacks with a program by Natuurmonumenten on the Oude Buisse Heide on Sunday, Sept. 10. This ancient nature reserve is part of the Van Gogh National Park and is a Van Gogh Monument. Once owned by artist couple Henriette and Richard Roland Holst, this estate was once the home of the artists. In addition to the opening of cultural treasures such as the Atelier, the Angora Farm and the Herenkameis, there is a regional market with music and a lot of fun.
The estate and properties are freely accessible. A limited number of spots are available for guided tours and a fee is charged.
On Sunday during Open Monumentendag there is also a first; nature experience in the Brabant dialect. Hedde ye altè already wanted to know which noam plèntjes and bisjes in our dialect have, meldt oe aige oan! Besides a number of guided tours, there is also a dance and poetry route.
Info & registration activities
Of course the Vincent van GoghHuis in the center of Zundert is also open for visits (not for free).

Tilburg

In Tilburg, the city where Vincent attended school and took drawing lessons, some 30 monuments can be visited on both days. Among them is the Paleis-Raadhuis, where the Rijks-HBS Koning Willem II was located from 1866 to 1934. One of its first students was Vincent van Gogh, who studied there from 1866-1868. His boarding house was located on the (current) Sint Annaplein. In 2009, the Palace-Council House replicated Vincents Tekenlokaal, part of Stadsmuseum Tilburg, with the goal of promoting talent development and enjoyment of drawing. Coordinator Marloes Coppes of Vincents Tekenlokaal is on hand in the old Drawing Room to tell the story of Vincent van Gogh in Tilburg. Surrounded by objects from the time and a beautiful still life, you can experience what it was like in the days when The Rijks-HBS Koning Willem II was located in the Palace from 1866 to 1934.
Further in the Palace:
- Peter Hofland shows videos about Tilburg in transition (continuous show). Beautifully edited visual stories from the past to the beginning of this century.
- Overview history of the Palace and relationship with our democracy, compiled by Stadsmuseum Tilburg
- Stadsgidserij Tilburg gives guided tours of this national monument twice a day (14h / 15h).
- Free: book 'A tour of the Palace-Council House', and for children a building plate of the Palace and a cute little crown (all while stocks last, of course).
Opening hours:
Sat 9 Sep. 11:00 - 17:00
Sun 10 Sep. 11:00 - 17:00
Info program Palace-Council House

Etten-Leur

Etten-Leur is where Vincent began his artistic career in 1881. In addition to having some 13 locations to visit, there are a variety of activities from organ concerts to a scavenger hunt, from performances to crossbow shooting and from puppet theater to flag waving. Also among the buildings to be visited free of charge are three Van Gogh Monuments: the former Dutch Reformed Church in Etten (Van Gogh Kerk), the Old Council House on the Market and the former Dutch Reformed Church on Leur (Trouwkerkje). In the two churches there are guided tours, carillon or organ walk-in concerts.
At Baroniepoort De Menmoerhoeve you can go for an audio tour. This location is also the starting point for the Van Gogh National Park walk Etten-Leur. The route is for sale at the Van Gogh museum shop at Markt 4 (open only on Saturdays).
Info program Etten-Leur

Nuenen

Nuenen has no fewer than 19 Van Gogh Monuments. This includes the Van Gogh Village Museum. This completely renovated museum can be visited both on Saturdays and Sundays (not free). Various walks and bicycle routes along various monuments are available in the museum shop. We highly recommend the booklet 'On the road with Vincent'. On Saturdays and Sundays you can walk with a guide at 3 p.m. from the Van Gogh Village Museum.

If you get on your bike, make a stop at De Watermolen van Opwetten, for example. Did you know that this location's terrace is in the national Terrace Top 100 of 2023? Open on Saturday and Sunday. On Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the mill is in operation, a miller is on hand to provide explanations and flour is for sale.
The Collse watermill is in operation and open to the public on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mill products are for sale in the store. Corn mill De Roosdock is also open for free visits on Saturdays (from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). A variety of homegrown and regional products are available in the mill store. All three mills were drawn and painted several times by Vincent.
See & do in Nuenen

Helvoirt

On Sunday, September 10, various monuments in Vught, Helvoirt and Cromvoirt will again open their doors free of charge. There are also extra activities such as exhibitions, tours, bicycle routes and walks. In Helvoirt you can visit two Van Gogh monuments: the Old Nicolaas Church (from 1871-1875 Rev. Th. Van Gogh, Vincent's father, was pastor in this church) and Zwijnsbergen Estate. On Open Monument Day, the professionals of De Bonth Van Hulten will gladly take you through the restoration process of the carschob. Via the driveway of Zwijnsbergen Castle you can reach the two available parking lots. After a fascinating explanation, you can continue walking to the area behind, where you will connect to the existing walking route across the impressive estate. Please note that the inhabited, private parts of the estate, including the castle, castle garden and orangery, are not open to the public.
Walking past the monuments? A route map can be found here.
Program Memorial Day Municipality of Vught

's-Hertogenbosch

Several dozen monuments can be visited here, including, free of charge on Saturday, the city's most famous religious monument: the Basilica of St. John. On Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a Sing Along in celebration of 750 years of choral singing. A visit to 's-Hertogenbosch is also a great opportunity to visit Het Noordbrabants Museum. It is the only museum in the southern Netherlands where original works by Vincent are on display. The museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free! Want to take a break? Then plop down in their courtyard garden, an oasis of green.
Info program 's-Hertogenbosch

Eindhoven

Vincent, during his time in Nuenen, visited Eindhoven frequently. During his walks, the painter always had a small sketchbook in his pocket. A preserved booklet from the period November 1884 to September 1885 shows not only several sketches of peasants, but also several recognizable places, such as St. Catharinakerk. The church is open on Saturday from 10:00-16:30 and on Sunday from 11:00-16:30.
The opening is not officially part of the program Open Monumentendag Eindhoven.
Especially for Open Monument Day 2023, a free monument walk will be provided by the VVV from the former Philips office on the Boschdijk.
Program Open Monumentendag Eindhoven

Lieshout

During his stay in Nuenen, Vincent regularly went out and painted in the surrounding area with his Eindhoven friend Antoon Kerssemakers. On his long walks in the area, Vincent saw several wind and water mills. It has been established that in August 1885 he depicted the mill De Vogelenzang in Lieshout (Municipality of Laarbeek) twice as a black-and-white drawing with sheaves of corn in the foreground. This Van Gogh Monument can be visited on Saturdays between 10:00 and 16:00.