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Welcome to Etten-Leur. This is the place where Vincent van Gogh started his artistic career in 1881. The heathland landscape enchanted him above all. The countryside, the farming life, and the simple people intrigued him. He took lengthy walks through his birth region. Walk in his footsteps and experience what touched and inspired him. Take a moment to enjoy Vincent’s countryside.
Etten-Leur: the landscape that touched and inspired Van Gogh
Van Gogh started his artistic career in Etten-Leur in 1881. For Van Gogh…
Welcome to Etten-Leur. This is the place where Vincent van Gogh started his artistic career in 1881. The heathland landscape enchanted him above all. The countryside, the farming life, and the simple people intrigued him. He took lengthy walks through his birth region. Walk in his footsteps and experience what touched and inspired him. Take a moment to enjoy Vincent’s countryside.
Etten-Leur: the landscape that touched and inspired Van Gogh
Van Gogh started his artistic career in Etten-Leur in 1881. For Van Gogh, nature and art were intrinsically connected. Vincent took lengthy walks here and the heathland landscape, the countryside and the farming life enchanted him. The long-distance walk (14 km) is 98% unpaved. You walk through farmland, over rugged fields with characteristic pollard willows, through forests, past ponds, streams and picturesque fens. The walk is easily combined with the five Van Gogh Monuments in Etten-Leur, including the Van Gogh Church, the Sexton’s House, the place where he lived and had his very first studio and where nowadays a statue by the Amsterdam artist Hein Vree reminds us of him, the Old Townhall where he first registered as an artist, and St Lambertus Church, which glows on the horizon in his drawings ‘Akker bij opkomend onweer’ (Field with Upcoming Thunderstorm) and ‘Weg met knotwilgen’ (Road with Pollard Willows). But also the well-known ancient Linden tree and the picturesque Sint Paulushofje (St Paul Courtyard) on the Markt that Vincent regularly admired. The ‘Museum De Kunst van het Leven’ (Museum the Art of Life) is also in the courtyard. Here you can (re-)experience the time when Van Gogh lived and worked in Etten.
The footpath is easily combined with the Van Gogh monuments in the centre of Etten-Leur (sights 11 through 17). You do not encounter these during this round trip.
If you would like to know (more) about Vincent’s time in Etten, visit Van Gogh Etten-Leur.
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As soon as the weather was favourable, Vincent went out and about with his drawing tools. On the spot of De Menmoerhoeve (S), there was a small farm in Vincent’s time. It was a bit more primitive than it is now. The farming landscape and the farming life fascinated Vincent. We go past the cattle, the flower garden, the butterfly garden, the orchard and the pollard willows (2).
Via the farmland, we arrive at the Pannenhoef estate. Forest, fens and flower-filled meadows characterise this nature area covering 706 hectares. Originally, there was a sort of mini-Peel here. The entire peatland was excavated in a few centuries between 1400 to 1750. In its dried form – turf – it went via turf canals to the cities to be used as fuel by households and breweries. When Brabants Landschap purchased this area in 1970 there was little life to be seen. That has completely changed, nowadays it is an attractive wooded area with 11 fens! One of them is the Wildertven (4). By this fen, there is a piece of landscape art ‘Werelddragers’ (World Bearers) by the Etten-Leur wood artist Martin Wijngaards.
Past the Turf Canal, we walk via De Bak (5) fen to Buitenlokaal De Zwarte Schuur (6). The venue is open every third Sunday of the month from April to September. And they usually bake bread in the Bakhuisje. A bit further along by De Flesch fen there is a bird spotting hut. At the Padvindersven (9) there is a Van Gogh ‘poosplaats’ / poetry bench by the Breda artist and poet Pien Storm van Leeuwen.
The Turf Canal winds its way towards Breda through the Rondgors area (10). This ecological connection zone (EVZ) turns into ’s Heeren Vrunten. This estate is not included in the walk, but it does offer some beautiful views, sightlines and vantage points. Via the Schuitvaart wooded area, a name that is also reminiscent of the former peat extraction, we find ourselves a spot at De Menmoerhoeve (1). Here, we can relax reminisce to our heart’s content about the walk and the delicious products from the Netherlands and the region.
