's-Hertogenbosch June 2024

I came to Den Bosch for the Bosch Parade. I don't think one can understand the parade without understanding the town, and vice versa. The experience deserves a post all of its own, so I will do this in two linked posts.

This is not some of my best photography, but the experience was one that I wanted to share. As usual, I fight to make Blogger behave.

Perhaps in the next few years we might make a meet up trip for Den Bosch and the parade. Contact me if you might be interested.

First off, the name. 's-Hertogenbosch or Den Bosch. Just accept that how ever you say it you are gonna be wrong. The Dutch language, along with the Dutch mind set, is totally inexplicable and unexplainable, and totally charming. Like wise "Holland" or "Netherlands" is going to trip you up. Both words describe the same place, but have subtle differences that really don't matter much, except to those people that it does but don't worry yourself about it

The town goes by several different names Den Bosch, 's-Hertogenbosch, but rarely simply “Bosch”. Its most famous resident is known by many names, in English speaking countries he is often refereed to as simply “Bosch” but if you refer to him in the town you must use the full “Jheronimus Bosch” (or Hieronymus Bosch in English.) I asked for the museum of his work as the “Bosch Museum”...big mistake.

I flew in to Amsterdam to Schipol Airport, expecting to have to get to the central train station. To my delighted surprise, the airport has a station that services everywhere in the Netherlands, lots of English spoken, frequent trains to everywhere at reasonable fares. There were cafes, and shops all around. Everything a traveler could want.

Note: All transactions were easy on my credit card. Do not accept a conversion when offered, it will almost always be more expensive than if done by your card company.

Little Duke Hotel

Once I was at the Bosch train station, I easily found the exit by following the main flow of people. Directions were obvious until I tried to find the hotel. I stayed at the Little Duke. This is not a hotel in the way I would expect, with a lobby and front desk. It is about check yourself in and you are on your own.

Most hotels of this type post a photo of the building, but in this case that photo was not helpful at finding the correct door.

Once I found my way in I had a lovely stay, and the cleaning staff (the only staff I ever saw) were a joy.

There was in my booking instructions a not about being able to leave my bags. The obvious place to ask was the Coffee Lab. This was the restaurant that became the core of my stay.

Finding the hotel was confusing as the door was not on the street where the address should have been. The door looked a bit like a residential doorway, with a small sign in Dutch directing one to phone a Dutch number. Unfortunately the remote door lock wasn’t working properly, so there was a Dutch person also confused, but she had a phone and the right language so we got in.

The next hurdle to my stay was the check in. This involved using an ipad, in Dutch. Did I mention that I don’t speak Dutch? I hardly speak Ipad. Eventually I got help, and this next part is worth making note of as this is the Dutch was of doing translations. Somewhere on the page, or opening screen will be a small Dutch flag. Click on it to find a British or American (either will do) flag. The page will come up in English, or some interesting combination of words in English that may or may not make sense.

I had reserved the smallest room for the first couple of days. Then I moved to a larger room as the smallest had already been reserved. The room was delightful. But my needs are simple clean bathroom and sheets, and a window with a grand view. The larger room also had a balcony that I took great joy just sitting on. As you pack for your trip, remember that most buildings do not have elevators, and ground floor is 0.

The key to understanding 's-Hertogenbosch is its history. Wikipedia has a good outline. A nook in a river bend is a defensible place to put a town. The town grew walls, and more impressive walls, and battlements. Canals were developed as boats were the best way to deliver goods. They also serve to drain the town and remove rubbish and sewage. Defensible bridges, then regular bridges, and more bridges. The defensible part of the wall slowly disappeared and the town grew outside of the walls. At times it was one of the major cities in the area. History happened, wars damaged the town.

The best place to get the sketch of the history here is the Bolwerk Sint Jan. This is a tourist center and restaurant built into one of the old battlements. It is also where there are public toilets. The folks here were helpful and cheery. This is also the place to purchase tickets for the boat tour, but more on that later.

Much of the Netherlands was hammered in the wars. But Den Bosch managed to survive the destruction. And the diligence of the residents prevented much of the modernization that erased the beauty of the old cities.

The architects here have a long history of working bits from old building into new construction. So you can see in a modern wall, an old door, with an older carved bit in it.

Walk along the old wall. This is a green way that goes along part of the river.

Art is everywhere. Official art, guerilla art. Old art, new art

Some pieces inspired by Jheronimus Bosch

There is a free “hop on hop off” bus that starts at the train station. It is not the regular bus of this kind. It is a free service provided by the local government and staffed by volunteers. These volunteers range from knowledgeable and English speaking, to people that wish all of those foreigners would just stay home. Well worth the time either way, and certainly worth the price.

These statues are much older than this building.
Keep your eyes open for "repurposed art"

Art is everywhere

This is the well in the center of the town square.
Think of hauling your water every day.

Alleys are delights.

Why would I show you garbage bins?
This is just the top part. The majority of
the bin is under ground.

There is something to be said about a culture that
measures the age of bread in hours rather than days.

Market days fill the square with food, stuff, and entertainment. Walk down the alleys and side streets. This is one of the safest comfortable places to wander in the world.

The VVV (Visitor's Center) is another place
that is a study in contrasts.
Computers under 15th century beams.

Vibrant modern architecture built
onto the centuries old building.

I met up with an old friend with a new spouse. And we did lots of hoofing around town. One of the gems we found was Anne Frank Herdenkingsplaats And the nearby synagogue district. The Dutch connection to the Jewish community is interesting and convoluted and goes way back. The arch is on one of the canals, the bird and bench in the park. The bench is topped with ceramic made to look like a woven blanket.

The Cathedral

SintJankathedraal is amazing. Everything Google will translate the name to Saint John’s but when in Den Bosch you will want to know the Dutch name. The cathedral can be done in an hour, or in a week. It is currently under extensive reconstruction, but still accessible.

There seems to be a lot happening on the plaza in front of the cathedral. Next visit I will put more effort into checking out the schedule there.

Look at this in an enlarged format.
I have not got the photographic skill to do
honor to this dragon.

The Boat Tour

I always love a boat tours, and this one did not disappoint. Plan ahead as you need to get your ticket at Bolwerk Sint Jan.
Here in the bowels of the city is a good place to watch for the layers upon layers of history.You can see all the ages of the town as you go in the underside of the city. Alas the guide spoke only Dutch, but I was able to get much of what I saw from the brochure.

Most of my photos of the inside of the
canals didn't work out. But there is
lots of ad hoc art.

Quaint and lovely...but in reality this was
the sewage system. Dump it down a
trough into the canal.

All sorts of steps that were once important

but now just forgotten.

Food:

The Bossche Bol
Trigger warning. These cannonball sized bonbons
are a reason to travel to Den Bosch.
Most restaurants have them but best is to go by
Banketbakkerij Jan de Groot

Christoffel City Bistro

To sit at a cafe and sip soup is heaven

Brasserie Restaurant Bolwerk

This cafe is part of a very unusual
chain. Brownies and Downies.
It hires and trains people with learning
disabilities. And it makes good brownies.

The Jheronimus Bosch Museum

The one thing I wanted to see was the Jheronimus Bosch Museum. I found it by wandering around in the general direction shown on my phone map. It is housed in an Arte Deco church built around 1900. If you haven’t figured it out yet, The Netherlands and Belgium have some of the finest art and architecture of that era.

Forgive the finger, but this is the only photo I have
of the front arch.
Enlarge these two photos to look closer.

When you go, spend time looking at
the friezes. Old world meets new.

Pullies from the now removed bells.
These are the minutia that I find so amusing.

Start with the elevator to the top of the bell tower.
Exquisite views from up there.

Housed in the bell tower a semi permanent display of a peculiar art movement. This is part of an ongoing guerrilla art project.

There are no original Jheronimus Bosch pieces in the town of his birth. Very few authenticated of his work are in existence. Do a brief Wikipedia look at his history.

The collection here is a combination of meticulous copies and work inspired by or using his work layered in this beautiful church. To put it in perspective, Jheronimus Bosch was contemporary with da Vinci. Not all of his work is the convoluted hellscapes. But you can see echos of it in all of his works.

Who was this guy?

And why the rope around his neck?
but exquisitely carved.

The columns had these odd bands of something

shiny ceramic. Each column had a different name.

Were they the financiers of the church?

I was not able to find anyone

that could tell me about them, or who the

names were.

The basement area where they have created a space that would have felt familiar to Jheronimus Bosch. It is a bit dark and creepy, Just what you might hope for.