The hellishly artistic city worth visiting in 2016
Hieronymus Bosch Art Centre
Evening in 's-Hertogenbosch 34 mins ago Share: 0
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Don't be last to know! Get the latest local news straight to your inbox. Sign up Jon Murray visits one of the Netherlands' smaller cities which this year has some special commemorations I WONDERED if I was hallucinating, or in the middle of a nightmare, as devilish figures and wondrous monsters passed before my eyes. Here I was, taking a seemingly serene canal cruise through a small Dutch city, and along the embankments were bizarre-looking life-size creatures from the kind of dreams you'd rather not have. This, though, was all part of the experience - and a fun one, it has to be said - just one of dozens of events to commemorate 500 years since the death of Hieronymus Bosch, the Netherlands' most famous medieval painter.
It's hardly surprising, I suppose, that everyone calls the city in question Den Bosch. Its full name – s'Hertogenbosch – is quite a mouthful, even for the multi-lingual, free-speaking Dutch. Whatever name you like to call it, the place has been planted very much on the European map in 2016 with its staging of Hieronymus Bosch 500, a spectacular year marking five centuries since the great man's passing. Hieronymus Bosch – Visions of a Master, at the Noordbrabants Museum, was described by international art critics as one of the year's must-see exhibitions, as 20 paintings, 19 drawings and various triptychs and panels created by the devilish artist were, for the first time, brought back to the city they were created in 500 years ago from galleries and museums around the world. Unfortunately, because some of these world-famous museums were prepared to loan the works for just a short period, the exhibition lasted only until May 8, and many days were sold out. The exhibition transferred to The Prado in Madrid, where it runs from June until September. However, Den Bosch has such an extensive programme to mark the quincentenary, including other exhibitions, performing arts, festivals, lectures, thematic walks, sculpture trails and other city events for people from all walks of life, that it is still very much worth a visit any time this summer or autumn. Take the stunning late Gothic St John's Cathedral – a magnificent building – on the outside of which are carved some 400 sculptures. For the first time in this commemorative year, a platform and steps have been erected to allow visitors a wondrous climb to the top gutters to see some of the old gargoyles, and others which were sculpted to replace the original ones, usually on the north face, where over time they had deteriorated too much through weather. The figures of flying buttresses can be found only at Westminster Cathedral, at St Denis in Paris, and here at Den Bosch's St John's Cathedral, and en route to the top, I couldn't stop taking pictures of them. There is no valid explanation behind some of the original statues. One, for instance, depicts a woman in the Amazon, to where at that time no European had ventured. And since in the early 1500s virtually nobody could read, nothing was written down. It is why imagery was so important, and Hieronymus Bosch's work in warning about temptation so powerful. Were some of the fiendish-looking gargoyles an inspiration for the painter? One imagines so. The Heaven and Hell open-boat cruise underneath the houses in the medieval city centre, where you pass figures inspired by The Garden of Earthly Delights, one of Bosch's most famous works, is also memorable, and includes a hell fire at the end of one of the tunnels. But don't think it's all blood and thunder. In fact it's not really a canal cruise because you are on the River Binnendieze, which is very quiet because houses were built between it and the streets. So you don't hear any traffic - unlike other canal cities such as Amsterdam or Utrecht, where it's noisy because the waterways are right next to the streets.
Thanks to video mapping and 3D projection in the paved-over Hellegat (hell hole), those on the cruise get the impression they are voyaging through Bosch's panels. Another highlight is the Bosch by Night light and sound show in the Market Square, where the painter's studio was once located. This had been years in the planning, but incredibly, at 10pm on the Saturday night before the official press showing when I and other art and travel writers visited, two facades where the light show was to be beamed collapsed like a house of cards. Considering these buildings had been standing with no sign of a crack for more than five centuries, many local people understandably felt it was eerily spooky that they should tumble to the ground at this time. Astonishingly, nobody was killed, or even injured. The light show's creators, Mr Beam, had to entirely rework their original version, which is now being projected onto four buildings on the other side of '.Die Kleine Winst', where Hieronymus Bosch's studio was located 500 years ago. All year, high quality reproductions of all the works of art of Hieronymus Bosch are on display in the central hall of the large Hieronymus Bosch Art Centre – a former church that has been transformed – so you can come face-to-face with his fantastic world full of monsters and symbolism that is as relevant now as it was then. Getting there is very easy. We flew with easyJet to Schiphol, from where trains run direct to Den Bosch direct and regularly through the day. The Movenpick Hotel, just outside the centre, and overlooking a man-made lake, is a good base, with excellent service and fine food – which will not surprise anyone who knows their famous ice creams. And if you drive, for instance going from Harwich to Hook of Holland, and via Rotterdam, you can combine it with the huge fantasy-themed amusement park at Efteling, just 20 minutes to the west. The centre of Den Bosch has a warm feel to it, with Korte Putstraat its culinary centre. This entire street is lined with eating places, many of them very good, and we had a delightful lunch at Restaurant Allerei. And whether it's after lunch here, or on another afternoon, don't forget to try a Bossche bol, especially if you can get one from Jan de Groot's patisserie where the best specimens of these local delicacies are to be found. Each one is like a giant round superior chocolate eclair. And when I say giant, I mean giant. Like much about this small city, it's a real treat. FACTFILE Jon travelled to s'-Hertogenbosch as a guest of the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions. Visit www.holland.com
The four-star Mövenpick Hotel ‘s-Hertogenbosch is located on the waterfront of the beautiful Provinciehuis lake, just outside the historic medieval centre of Den Bosch, providing an ideal base for a city break. Double rooms start from £68 per room per night, based on two sharing. Visit www.movenpick.com easyJet flies from London to Amsterdam with prices starting from £18.24 per person (one-way, including taxes and based on two people on the same booking). Also visit: www.bosch500.nl Share: 0
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