Van Gogh garden Sprundel

Alderman René Lazeroms of the Municipality of Rucphen will open the garden 'Het Levenspad' on Saturday, Oct. 13, together with Sylvia Vergouwen, a Schijf garden and landscape designer. The garden is located at Hofstraat 1 in Sprundel. 'Het Levenspad' focuses on the life of Vincent van Gogh.

Sylvia Vergouwen originally designed the garden for the annual garden festival at De Tuinen van Appeltern. In 2015, she entered the garden design competition to create a piece of garden. The theme of the contest was "A Garden for Vincent" as part of the van Gogh year 2015. Out of forty entries, Sylvia's garden, The Life Path was chosen to be realized in Appeltern. Het Levenspad was created in collaboration with fellow locals Merijn Schrauwen (hoveniersbedrijf Mijn Tuin) and Jos van Laerhoven (JvL Eco Design).

Moving the garden
After two years, the garden had to make way for new themed gardens. "Municipality of Rucphen is not unfamiliar with Vincent van Gogh. The artist was born in our own region, he spent his youth here and painted many of our surroundings" says Alderman René Lazeroms. "We thought it would be very nice to move the garden to our own area. In Sprundel we had a suitable location available for the garden" continues Lazeroms. With the arrival of The Life Path, everyone from the surrounding area can now experience Vincent van Gogh's life within the municipality of Rucphen.

The path of life
The garden is dedicated to the life of Vincent van Gogh. "A spiral path leads visitors into the garden. This path symbolizes Vincent van Gogh's search for his vocation, love, truth and the right techniques in his artistry " says Vergouwen. Four periods in the life of Van Gogh can be seen in the garden. His childhood, the Brabant period, his period in Arles and his last year in Auvers-sur-Oise are reflected in the garden. "The planting at the time periods fits Vincent's life. For each period there is a tree. For example, in the Brabant period there is an oak tree to symbolize the strength of his youthful life," Vergouwen said. "A path with cobblestones traverses the path of life and leads the visitor directly to the core where a glass artwork is placed. This artwork is inspired by the typical painting style of Van Gogh" continued Vergouwen. The path of life is a collection of a beautiful piece of nature and art. "The garden also provides a resting point in the village. A bench has also been placed near the garden"

TIPS

- In the Municipality of Rucphen, on Dorpsstraat in St.Willebrord, there is an audio column at the entrance to the Procession Park. Among other things, it tells the story of Van Gogh's model Cornelis Schuitemaker.

- Visit Vincent's birthplace in Zundert

- Visit the Van Gogh Kerk in Etten-Leur