Vincent van Gogh cycle route Nuenen

You will be cycling through a Vincent van Gogh painting on this route, past a unique collection of buildings, monuments and landscapes. You will cycle where Vincent once walked. Every now and again you can get off your bike right where he stood. See what he saw and painted. Unique!

This route starts at the Vincentre (Berg 29, Nuenen). The story is told inside and once you are back outside you can cycle past the places where Vincent lived, where he had his studio, where his lady friend lived, where he went to church and where ‘The Potato Eaters’ was painted. You can cycle alongside the Wilhelmina Canal to Lieshout (De Vogelenzang windmill, a Van Gogh Monument) with a nice detour towards Helmond, then via Stiphout and Gerwen back to Nuenen. Listen to the information columns along the route and get to know Vincent even better.

Discovering Van Gogh’s world in Nuenen
The Vincentre recounts Vincent’s time in Nuenen, using photos, reproductions of his paintings, drawings and letters. The creation of Van Gogh’s first masterpiece, the Potato Eaters, naturally takes pride of place. There are several locations that Vincent painted within 400 metres of the Vincentre.

This is where the Van Gogh family lived from 1882 to 1885. Vincent lived there himself from December 1883 until May 1885. His parents had moved from Etten because father Van Gogh had accepted a new job as a preacher in Nuenen. Vincent van Gogh’s first studio was in an outhouse behind the rectory. He drew and painted the front and back of the building, which dates from 1764.

The Begemann family lived in the Nune Ville villa. When Vincent’s mother was recovering from a fracture, and he was looking after the house, Margot, one of the Begemann sisters, took over mother Van Gogh’s needlework lessons for a while. Vincent and Margot fell in love, but the families were opposed to the relationship. Margot was so upset by this that she swallowed some poison. Vincent wrote about it in his letters. The restored 19th century house can be visited on Saturday afternoons or by appointment.

Only one of the weavers’ houses that were so common in Nuenen in Van Gogh’s time, still exists. It was built in 1763 and is now a listed monument. It’s a perfect example of what the small cottages that the Nuenen weavers lived in looked like. Vincent was fascinated by the poor weavers. He drew and painted them working at their looms. The verger at the Van Gogh chapel lived in this house later on, which is how it got its other name ‘Verger’s House’. The house, which was restored in 2018, is now a bed & breakfast.

Vincent’s father preached at this small church from August 1882 to 25 March 1885. The chapel was built in 1824 and inaugurated in 1826. The vestry was added in 1928. The font, the copper lectern, the current pulpit, some of the communion silver and a Bible are still inside the chapel. Vincent van Gogh painted this church, which can be visited for free.

De Roosdonck windmill is still used for milling grain. The mill can be seen in the background of several of Van Gogh’s sketches and drawings. He made numerous drawings and paintings of windmills in his Brabant period.

In Vincent’s time, the farmhouse belonging to the De Groot family stood here. Vincent made a painting of this farmhouse and the family modelled for countless studies of farmers’ heads and hands. In 1885 he completed the painting of the Potato Eaters. It shows the De Groot family eating their meal. Vincent considered the Potato Eaters to be his first fully-fledged work.

This windmill on the Molendreef in Lieshout was constructed in 1819 and operates as a flour mill. Vincent van Gogh made two drawings of the Vogelenzang in 1885. It shows the mill with a cornfield and sheaves in the foreground.

The history of this mill goes back almost a thousand years. The mill has the largest mill-wheel in the Netherlands, with a diameter of more than 9 metres. This is one of three watermills that Vincent van Gogh captured on canvas. He worked beside the River Dommel with Anthon van Rappard, the artist he met in Brussels in 1880. The corn mill and sawmill are freely accessible the whole week. The Opwetten Watermill is an official Brabants Fietscafé; a Brabant Bicycle Café. In these bicycle cafés, cyclists are made to feel especially welcome!

You can make a diversion from junction 35 to reach the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path. The unique cycling path is inspired by The Starry Night by the master painter Vincent van Gogh.  After dark visitors will be amazed  by a design of light and colour. A magical experience.

From May 1884, Vincent rented two rooms from the Catholic verger Johannes Schafrat, whose house stood on this spot. Vincent had his studio here and this was where he painted his masterpiece, the Potato Eaters. The verger’s house was demolished in 1936. A picture of the artist with his painting easel in the front garden reminds us that Vincent had his studio here. Opposite this spot there is a group of statues depicting the Potato Eaters. Further to the north in the Park there is a statue of Vincent van Gogh.

Tip: you can make a 1.5 km diversion from the route at junction 3 to see an unusual mural. Artists Ilse Weisfelt was inspired by the peasant workers in Van Gogh’s paintings. The mural can be seen in the Kasteellaan near Kanaaldijk Noord-West. Photos: Hans van Berkenmortel.

How does the Van Gogh cycle route work?
The Van Gogh cycle route forms part of the cycle route network in Brabant. There is a Van Gogh cycle route sign at every intersection. Follow the Van Gogh cycle route signs from one numbered intersection to the other. Follow the cycle route network signs between the intersections. Ten short routes in the form of loops have been marked out. The routes are joined together by linking sections.