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village in Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten, the Netherlands
Europe > Benelux > Netherlands > Southern Netherlands > North Brabant > Nuenen

Opwettense water mill

Nuenen is a town of about 22,000 inhabitants in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten just east of Eindhoven in the province North Brabant in The Netherlands.

Understand

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Nuenen is a name of Frankish origin. The village was established between the 5th and 8th century. Axes and urns found in 1863 and 1915 confirmed that a Germanic tribe must have been lived in the territory of the present municipality. During excavations objects from the Urnfield period (8th century) were found. The civil municipality of Nuenen is founded around 1300 AD. The combined municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten exists since 1821.

The painter Vincent van Gogh lived and worked in Nuenen from December 5, 1883 to November 24, 1885. Here he created his famous painting The Potato Eaters and hundreds of other paintings and drawings.

The old core of the village Nuenen is formed by a triangular square, called De Berg, which continues to a larger triangular park, Het Park. The latter was built in the 19th century, one finds here a music stand, a monument to Vincent van Gogh and a monument that commemorates the Sisters of Charity. This part of Nuenen is a protected village.

Tourist information

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  • VVV Nuenen Tourist Office, Berg 6, ☏ +31 40 283 96 15, . Tu-Su 10:00 –17:00. It's in the Vincentre, the Vincent van Gogh centre. 

Get in

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By car

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From the junction on highway A270 between Eindhoven and Helmond, it’s 1 km north to Nuenen centre.

By bus

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Bus number 121 and 122 leave from Eindhoven central bus terminal to Nuenen. Bus 22 drives between Eindhoven and Helmond via Nuenen.

Get around

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Nuenen is a small town. You can easily go around by feet or better you hire a bike.

  • Windmill De Roosdonck. Built in 1884, this huge flour mill still stands open in the fields just north of Nuenen, ten minutes by foot away from the city center. Even after renovations in 1971 and 1995 a lot of the inner workings are still original. The mill is opened every Saturday between 10 and 15 and voluntary millers will give you a tour upon request. The mill is still used for flower production and products are sold in the shop. Entrance is free, but donations are appreciated. See also their website.
  • Opwettense watermolen. A watermill in the Kleine Dommel (river), whose history dates back to the eleventh century. The present buildings date from 1743. The interior, including a cramming for pressing linseed, is still present. The miller's house is from the 17th or 18th century. This undershot mill has the largest waterwheel of North Brabant, with a diameter of 9.30 meter. Vincent van Gogh painted this mill repeatedly.
  • Van Goghkerkje (Van Gogh Church). This is a Waterstaatskerk (Reformed Church) from 1824. The church is particularly picturesque as it is located with the green Park in the background. Theo van Gogh (pastor), the father of Vincent van Gogh, preached here. This church is named after Vincent van Gogh as he repeatedly painted it. It is used for special ceremonies and cultural events.
  • Vincent van Gogh Documentation Centre. This permanent exhibition is since 1976 housed in the restored carriage house near the town hall. Although Nuenen possesses no work of Van Gogh, enough memories can be found during the period the artist lived here. A new museum called Vincentre is open since 2010.
  • Old Town Hall Beekstraat, dated 1734, restored in 1986, is now a gallery.
  • Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path. Glow-in-the-dark cycle path inspired by Van Gogh's painting Starry Night. The cycle path is part of the Van Gogh Cycle Route.
Statue of Vincent van Gogh in Het Park
  • Dierenrijk, Baroniehei (road Nuenen to Geldrop), ☏ +31 49 266 82 40, . Winter 10:00-17:00, summer 10:00-1:800. An educational zoo specially for children with elephants, monkeys, bears, lions, tigers, birds, etc. €16.50. 
  • Outdoor Museum, Berg 29 (Vincentre), ☏ +31 40 283 96 15, . A unique feature of Nuenen and the surroundings is that it can be viewed as an Outdoor Museum with many reminders of Van Gogh. The Outdoor Museum comprises no fewer than 21 locations, all of which have a direct bearing on Vincent's two year stay in Nuenen. Of these 21 objects, 14 were painted or drawn by Vincent on one or more occasion. The other 7 locations were not painted but were mostly the houses where his models lived. Information columns have been installed at 17 of these locations with audio commentary (in English too). 
  • Family Biking, Rullen 7, Gerwen, ☏ +31 40 283 58 86. Make a trip on a four wheel family bike (max 4 persons) in the surroundings of Nuenen. €10 per hour or €18 for 2 hours. 
  • Sheep farm Adriaans, Doolstraat 7, ☏ +31 40 284 12 02, . The flock comprises more than 1500 sheep and is therefore one of the largest in the Netherlands. Apart from lamb viewing days the sheep farm is also open by appointment for groups of minimum 10 people. This is the perfect place for excursions, company outings and family days. 

Drink

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Sleep

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Stay safe

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Nuenen is a safe place to visit, crime records are low and violent crime is almost unheard of. Bike theft is an annoying crime that happens quite often though, so always make sure your bike is locked.

Go next

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Visit Eindhoven, Helmond or 's-Hertogenbosch which all are nearby cities.

This city travel guide to Nuenen is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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