Architecture, Bergen op Zoom

The area of het Havenkwartier has beautiful architecture.You can walk around a little, there are a few pubs to drink something and there is a nice restaurant het Spuihuis where you can get a good meal. There are also a few nice art-galleries to visit. At thursdays there is always a market with food and clothes.

Climbing the tower of the St-Gertrudis-church (or as we say here the Peperbus) during holiday-season.....
An unique view over the city.
There's something special during carnival with this tower: every year they gave him his carnival dress. During the carnival for the children he can also talk !

In june Pieter (floss1) and Raewyn visited my hometown. We made a citywalk. This picture is made by the goat. The goat is important with the carnival: every year when the carnaval starts at november the 11th all the people come together by this little statue.

One of the most beautiful buidings is the town hall which is located at the Grote Markt. Also inside it's worth a visit but it's almost never open to public. I've seen it inside several times because it's also the place where couples get married.

The 'Grote Markt' is the central place to be in Bergen op Zoom. You will find here the cityhall, the oldest hotel in the Netherlands 'de Draak', theatre 'de Maagd', and many bars and restaurants...
From the Grote Markt you can also see the tower from the St. Gertrudis-church. During the holiday season it's possible to climb the tower en enjoy the view over the city.

The Lievevrouwe- of Gevangenpoort ('Our Lady- or Prisongate') was built in ca. 1335 and is the only surviving medieval city-gate in all of Noord-Brabant. Which means that a town like Kampen has three times the number of medieval gates the entire province of Noord-Brabant has. There must be a good explanation for this.

The St. Getrudis is the major church of the town. After a first church was built in the 13th century, several attempts have been made to build a bigger church. The current church roughly dates from 1470. Originally a basilica, in 1750-1752 the clerestory was removed, turning the church into a pseudo-basilica. In the same period the lantern on top of the tower was built. The church was one of the last churches stolen by the protestants to return to its rightful owners, as the protestants continued to use it until 1966. During the big restoration that followed a fire destroyed the interior and the roof. The catholics had to wait until 1987 before they could finally use the church.

It has become a tradition every year with carnaval to dress up the tower.

The old town hall has a late-Gothic facade dating from 1611, behind which are several older houses. In the 17th century a gable in Renaissance style was added, which was largely reconstructed during a restoration between 1930 and 1938.

The church tower of Bergen op Zoom, nicknamed De Peperbus, as seen from the central market square Grote Markt.

Visit the beautiful Anton van Duinkerken-park.
A very romantic place in the centre of the town......It's one of my favourite places!!