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s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of the Maas river and near the
Waal WAAL (99.1 FM "The Whale") is a commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station in the Binghamton metropolitan area. It is an ...
; it is to the north east of the city of Tilburg, north west of Eindhoven, south west of Nijmegen, and a longer distance south of Utrecht and south east of Dordrecht.


History

The city's official name is a contraction of the (archaic)
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
''des Hertogen bosch'' — "the forest of the duke". The duke in question was Henry I of Brabant, whose family had owned a large estate at nearby Orthen for at least four centuries. He founded a new town located on some forested dunes in the middle of a marsh. At age 26, he granted 's-Hertogenbosch city rights and the corresponding trade privileges in 1185. This is, however, the traditional date given by later chroniclers; the first mention in contemporaneous sources is 1196. The original charter has been lost. His reason for founding the city was to protect his own interests against encroachment from Gelre and Holland; from its first days, he conceived of the city as a fortress. It was destroyed in 1203 in a joint expedition of Gelre and Holland, but was soon rebuilt. Some remnants of the original city walls remain. In the late 14th century, a much larger wall was erected to protect the greatly expanded settled area. Artificial waterways were dug to serve as a city moat, through which the rivers
Dommel The Dommel is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands, left tributary of the Dieze. It is 120 km long, of which 85 km in the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop, Tongelreep, Run, Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merg ...
and Aa were diverted. 's-Hertogenbosch became the birthplace and home of one of the greatest painters of the
northern Renaissance The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps. From the last years of the 15th century, its Renaissance spread around Europe. Called the Northern Renaissance because it occurred north of the Italian Renais ...
period,
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
. The town suffered a catastrophic fire in 1463, which the then (approximately) 13-year-old Bosch probably witnessed; presumably, this fire provided inspiration for the fiery hell-scapes that would later make Bosch famous. Until 1520, the city flourished, becoming the second largest population centre in the territory of the present Netherlands, after Utrecht. The city was also a center of music, and composers, such as Jheronimus Clibano, received their training at its churches. Others held positions there: Matthaeus Pipelare was musical director at the Confraternity of Our Lady; and renowned Habsburg copyist and composer Pierre Alamire did much of his work at 's-Hertogenbosch.


Eighty Years' War

The wars of the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
changed the course of the city's history. It became an independent
bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. During the Eighty Years' War, the city took the side of the Habsburg (
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
) authorities and thwarted a Calvinist coup. It was besieged several times by Prince
Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
of
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
, stadtholder of most of the Dutch Republic, who wanted to bring 's-Hertogenbosch under the rule of the rebel United Provinces. The city was successfully defended against Prince Maurice in
1601 This Epoch (reference date)#Computing, epoch is the beginning of the 400-year Gregorian leap-year cycle within which digital files first existed; the last year of any such cycle is the only leap year whose year number is divisible by 100. Jan ...
and again in 1603, but the city eventually fell in the 1629 siege led by Frederick Henry.Knight, Charles Raleigh: ''Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment''. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905
pp. 69-70
/ref>


Thirty Years' War

In the years of Truce, before the renewed fighting after 1618, the fortifications were greatly expanded. The surrounding marshes made a siege of the conventional type impossible, and the fortress, deemed impregnable, was nicknamed the Marsh Dragon. The town was nevertheless finally conquered by Frederik Hendrik of Orange in 1629 in a typically Dutch stratagem: he diverted the rivers Dommel and Aa, created a polder by constructing a forty-kilometre dyke and then pumped out the water by mills. After a siege of three months, the city had to surrender—an enormous blow to Habsburg geo-political strategy during the Thirty Years' War. This surrender cut the town off from the rest of the duchy and the area was treated by the Republic as an occupation zone without political liberties (see also
Generality Lands The Generality Lands, Lands of the Generality or Common Lands ( nl, Generaliteitslanden) were about one fifth of the territories of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, that were directly governed by the States-General. Unlike the seven pr ...
).


Louis XIV to Bonaparte

After the Peace of Westphalia, the fortifications were again expanded. In 1672, the Dutch ''
rampjaar In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the nl, Rampjaar, label=none (Disaster Year). In May 1672, following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and its peripheral conflict the Third Anglo-Dutch War, France, supported by Münster and ...
'', the city held against the army of
Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...
of France. In 1794 French revolutionary troops under the command of Charles Pichegru attacked the city. It was only weakly defended, and fell after a short siege. Pichegru then crossed the rivers and put an end to the Dutch Republic. In the Batavian Republic, that was established in 1795, both Catholics and ''Brabanders'' at last gained equal rights. From 1806, the city became part of the Kingdom of Holland and from 1810, it was incorporated into the
First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...
. It was captured by the
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
ns in 1814.


Kingdom of the Netherlands

The next year, 1815, when the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was established, it became the capital of
North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
. Many newer and more modern fortresses were created in the vicinity of the city. A new canal was built, the 'Zuid-Willemsvaart', which gave the city an economic impulse. Trade, manufacturing and industry grew. Until 1878, it was forbidden to build outside the ramparts. That led to overcrowding and the highest infant mortality in the kingdom. At the end of the 19th century, the very conservative city government prevented industrial investment to avoid an increase in the number of workers and the establishment of educational institutions: students were regarded as disorderly. As a result, the relative importance of the city diminished.


World War II and after

One of the few official
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
complexes in Western Europe outside Germany and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
was named after 's-Hertogenbosch. It operated from January 1943, to September 1944 and was known to the Germans as
Herzogenbusch , , german: Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch , location map = Netherlands , map alt = , map caption = Location of the camp in the Netherlands , coordinates = , known for = , location = Vught, Netherlands , built by = N ...
(see List of subcamps of Herzogenbusch). About 30,000 inmates were interned in the complex during this time, of whom about 12,000 were
Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
s. In the Netherlands, this camp is known as 'Kamp Vught', because the concentration camp was actually located at a heath near Vught, a village a few kilometres south of 's-Hertogenbosch. It was conquered by the Germans in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in 1940 and occupied by them for over four years. The allies struck back—the railway station was bombed by planes of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
on 16 September 1944. The city was liberated between 24 and 27 October 1944 during Operation Pheasant by British soldiers of
Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Robert Knox Ross's 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division after Major Donald Bremner of the 1st Battalion,
East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th (2nd Nottingh ...
, of 158th Infantry Brigade, had already routed the enemy on 23–24 October. After the war, 's-Hertogenbosch was modernized, like many other cities in the Netherlands. It was probably only geography that shielded the old town from rigorous reconstruction in those early years. Just in time, the pendulum swung over to protecting the history of the city. In 1956, the council wanted to demolish the Moriaan, the oldest brick building in the Netherlands, to give traffic better access to the market square. The permit was refused by the government and instead the building was restored, starting in 1963. Later, city councils became much more aware of the value of historic buildings and from about the turn of the millennium, the historic fortifications are also given much attention by the authorities.


Geography


Population centres

The population centres in the municipality are:
Bokhoven Bokhoven is a village in the Netherlands, in the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch. It is located about seven kilometres northwest of the city center, on the south bank of the river Maas. History Until 1795 Bokhoven was a quasi independent st ...
, Crevecoeur, Deuteren (former village), Dieskant, Empel,
Engelen Engelen is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is part of the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch. Location and plan Engelen is located in the north of North Brabant. It borders the villages Vlijmen and Bokhoven as well as the ...
, Gewande, 's-Hertogenbosch, Hintham, Kruisstraat, Maliskamp, Meerwijk, Orthen (former village), Oud-Empel, and
Rosmalen Rosmalen () is a town in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. The town is located 6 kilometers east of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) and has been part of that Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality si ...
.


Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
subtype for this climate is " Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate).


Economy

The city of 's-Hertogenbosch has become a center of industry, education, administration and culture. It is currently the fourth city of
North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
. It is home to many national and international businesses such as
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Feb ...
, Epic,
Tyco International Tyco International plc was a security systems company incorporated in the Republic of Ireland, with operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, United States (Tyco International (US) Inc.). Tyco International was composed of two major b ...
,
SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
and many others. The
Jeroen Bosch Hospital The Jeroen Bosch Hospital or JBZ, is a general hospital in 's-Hertogenbosch. The building at the current location on the Henri Dunantlaan was opened in 2011. History Created by mergers The Jeroen Bosch Hospital resulted from multiple merg ...
is the biggest employer in the area, with over 4,000 employees.


Culture

's-Hertogenbosch is home to a variety of events such as the theatre festival ''Boulevard'', ''Jazz in Duketown'', and hip hop in duketown, the start of the Tour de France (1996),
Tour Feminin Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
(1997), the International Vocal Competition,
November Music November Music is an annual international festival of contemporary music in the Netherlands on various locations in 's-Hertogenbosch. Its motto is 'Today's Music by Today's Makers'. The ten-day festival is held in the first half of November. It ...
(a contemporary music festival) and the UNICEF Open (formerly the Ordina Open) grass court tennis tournament (in the nearby town of
Rosmalen Rosmalen () is a town in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. The town is located 6 kilometers east of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) and has been part of that Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality si ...
). There are also over 350 restaurants, pubs and cafés to be found in the city. 's-Hertogenbosch is also home to the European Ceramic Work Centre. This is a juried international ceramic residency where they invite artists, designers and architects from around to the world to explore the medium of Ceramics. This program was initially started in 1991 and continues to this day. The city has its own food speciality, the Bossche Bol — effectively a giant
profiterole A profiterole (), cream puff (US), or ''chou à la crème'' () is a filled French and Italian choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left p ...
, somewhat larger than a tennis ball, which is filled with whipped cream and coated with
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
. The spoken language is (the variant spoken in 's-Hertogenbosch is called ''Bosch'' which is placed among the Central North
Brabantian Brabantian or Brabantish, also Brabantic or Brabantine ( nl, Brabants, Standard Dutch pronunciation: , ), is a dialect group of the Dutch language. It is named after the historical Duchy of Brabant, which corresponded mainly to the Dutch provi ...
dialects, although other classification systems also describe it as
East Brabantian East Brabantian ( nl, Oost Noord-Brabants or Oost Brabants) is one of the main divisions of the Brabantian dialect group recognized by the ''Woordenboek van de Brabantse dialecten''. East Brabantian dialects are mainly spoken in the eastern part o ...
), which is very similar to colloquial
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
. De Toonzaal is a music venue for chamber music, improvised music, and experimental music. For popular music there is the venue W2 (or Willem II).


Museums

The
Noordbrabants Museum Het Noordbrabants Museum is an art museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. History The Provincial Society for Arts and Sciences ''Het Provinciaal Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen in Noord-Brabant'' (Provincial society for arts and s ...
is a provincial museum with an overview of works that Vincent van Gogh made in Brabant. The
Design Museum Den Bosch The Design Museum Den Bosch (previously: Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, SM's) is a museum for modern art in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. Focus of the Design Museum The Design Museum focuses on contemporary visual arts and design. I ...
is a modern art museum. The Jheronimus Bosch Art Center, is dedicated to the work of
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
. Other museums include the Swan Brothers' House and Museum Slager. Also the National (Dutch) Carnavalsmuseum Oeteldonks gemintemuzejum is located in the city. In the near future a new museum will be opened about the fortresses of the town and in general in Europe. The house where the famous painter Hieronymus produced his paintings can be visited on the market square.


Carnival celebrations

's-Hertogenbosch has a strong carnival tradition. In its current form the story and symbolism dates from 1881 to 1883. In these years some citizens created the legend of "Oeteldonk", whereby the city was renamed to Oeteldonk for the three day carnival. "Donk" is a reference to a dry place in the marsh. The frog is widely used as a symbol during the 's-Hertogenbosch Carnival. It's also a symbol of the Oeteldonk marsh. It was also a remark aimed at Bishop Godschalk from Den Dungen, where 'Van den Oetelaar' was a common family name. He had wanted to forbid the traditional festivities of
Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten ...
that often led to excesses. Oeteldonk is a village and therefore every inhabitant is a farmer or a '' (a girl or young woman), eliminating class differences. The village is headed by the Mayor "Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd". Each year the mayor of 's-Hertogenbosch hands over his authority to the Mayor of Oeteldonk. On Sunday at 11:11 AM the Mayor of Oeteldonk then receives Prince Carnaval "Prince Amadeiro XXVI" at Oeteldonk central station. From there a parade of all carnival clubs escorts the company to the town hall. The citizens of 's-Hertogenbosch wear traditional outfits throughout these days. A so-called ''boerenkiel'' is worn and every year patches are designed according to that years theme which can then be stitched onto the outfit. The ''boerenkiel'' is often combined with a traditional farmers bandana and a long scarf in the colors of Oeteldonk. The tradition of the Boerenkiel and / or Bandana is very different from the carnival traditions in the rest of the Netherlands. Other aspects like the parade, the temporary name and the temporary flag (for Oeteldonk red, white and yellow) are very similar.


Attractions

's-Hertogenbosch was founded as a fortified city and that heritage can still be seen today. After World War II, plans were made to modernise the old city, by filling in the canals, removing or modifying some ramparts and redeveloping historic neighbourhoods. Before these plans could come to effect, however, the central government declared the city a protected townscape. Most historic elements have been preserved. In contrast to cities like
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, 's-Hertogenbosch also survived the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
relatively unscathed. Much of its historic heritage remains intact, and today there are always renovations going on in the city to preserve the many old buildings, fortifications, churches and statues for later generations.


The city center

The city center has a cosy atmosphere because of the almost continuous ramparts that still surround it. It has been molded by the multiple rivers that convene on 's-Hertogenbosch, giving the center its strange street plan so different from the usual grid plan where streets meet at right angles. The center is dominated by Saint John's Cathedral (''Sint-Janskathedraal'' in
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
), which dates from c. 1220 and is best known for its
Brabantine Gothic Brabantine Gothic, occasionally called Brabantian Gothic, is a significant variant of Gothic architecture that is typical for the Low Countries. It surfaced in the first half of the 14th century at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the City of Mechele ...
design and the many sculptures of craftsmen that are sitting on almost every arc and rim along the outside of the cathedral. In 2010 an extensive restoration was completed, undoing the damage of many years of wear-and-tear and acid rain. On the central square is the oldest remaining brick house of the Netherlands, 'de Moriaan', which was built at the beginning of the 13th century. In the 1960s, de Moriaan was renovated to its former glory based on a famous 16th-century Dutch painting called 'De Lakenmarkt van 's-Hertogenbosch' ('The fabric market of 's-Hertogenbosch'). The town hall is an original 14th-century Gothic building. After the town was conquered by the Dutch Republic in 1629, it received a new facade in the style of Dutch Baroque architecture. It showcased the authority of the new masters, just like the new town hall in Maastricht would. Hidden below the old city is a canal network called the
Binnendieze Binnendieze is the common name for all rivers and canals inside the city walls of 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. It is a major tourist attraction. Near the north-west tip of the city walls, the confluence of the Binnendieze with the rivers ...
, which once spanned . It started out as a regular river, the Dommel, running through the city in medieval times. Due to a lack of space in the city, people started building their houses and roads over the river. Later, the Binnendieze functioned as a sewer and fell into disrepair. In recent decades, the remaining sixth part of the old waterway system has been renovated, and it is possible to take several guided subterranean boat trips through it.


The fortifications

's-Hertogenbosch has an extensive and almost complete fifteenth-to-seventeenth-century city fortification. It was made to profit from the city's strong defensive position, lying on a sandy hill in the center of a large swamp fed by many rivers. This also caused that the main ramparts were preserved, because they were crucial in keeping out the water. In 2004 the city was awarded the title ''European Fortress City of the year''. In the years that followed it restored many of the city defenses to much of their old glory. Apart from small sections of medieval walls, the main structure of the fortification is a late-medieval (fifteenth-century) wall. The upper sections were removed when cannon became more powerful, and polygonal bastions were added, some after the conquest by the republic. Most of these have not been restored to their original height, but do maintain their brick walls. The citadel in the north west of the city does retain its original height. Around the city itself many other fortresses can still be seen. In the north east of the old city, the hexagonal
gunpowder magazine A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications ...
, called is located close to the citadel. It is one of only a handful that still exist in the Netherlands, and was built when the city was still part of the Spanish Netherlands. It is planned to become the museum of fortress 's-Hertogenbosch. One of the bastions of the fortress now houses the mini museum Bastionder. It has been dug out in a bastion of the south side. On the inside it shows a unique wrought iron cannon, and an older bastion that was walled in by the current one.


Nature

On the south side of the city, the city center and walls still border the Bossche Broek, an old polder that could never be made dry. In 1995 the dyke of the Dommel broke and an enormous amount of water entered the polder. It also flooded and blocked the main Dutch highway A2. In order to prevent this in the future, the area was rearranged to store excess water in case of emergencies. In 2006 the area had been furnished with higher dikes and locks that allowed a controlled flooding of the polder and some adjacent areas in case of emergency. The Bossche Broek is now a nature reserve, that stretches all the way to Vught. It is connected to the Moerputten and Vlijmens Ven, with which it forms a Natura 2000 area. Rare species in the area are the
scarce large blue The scarce large blue (''Phengaris teleius'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia (country), Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongo ...
and the
European weather loach The weatherfish (''Misgurnus fossilis'') is a species of true loach that has a wide range in Europe and some parts of Asia. It is an omnivorous scavenger bottom feeder, using its sensitive barbels to find edible items. The diet mostly consists o ...
. The Moerputten sports the Moerputten Bridge, a 600 m long nineteenth century railway bridge and engineering feat. However, what is really unique about the area is its close proximity to the city center.


Miscellaneous

The city is also the location of the '' Bolwoningen'' complex, an array of fifty experimental spherical houses designed by Dries Kreijkamp. The Lutheran Church, 's-Hertogenbosch is no longer used as a church.


Sport

The city has one professional football club, FC Den Bosch. It is the 1967 successor of the professional branches of BVV (Bossche Voetbal Vereniging) and Wilhelmina. Both of them still exist as amateur football clubs. As a successor of BVV FC Den Bosch can claim the national championship of 1948. This championship led to the construction of stadium De Vliert, which at one time had a capacity of 30,000. Due to the less successful years that followed, the capacity is now only 8,500 visitors. FC Den Bosch was the first club of Dutch international player Ruud van Nistelrooy. 's-Hertogenbosch is more successful in field hockey. It is home to top club HC Den Bosch. The women's team in particular is a dominant force in the Dutch field hockey competition. The professional basketball club New Heroes Den Bosch is also very successful. The city's rugby club is called The Dukes and dates from 1974. It is located at a very scenic location at the foot of the city walls. Because of the limited space, the club plays on artificial turf and part of the accommodation is subterranean. The Dukes has the most junior members. It became the national rugby champion in 2008. As regards events the city is host to the
Rosmalen Grass Court Championships The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, branded by its sponsored name as the Libéma Open since 2018, (formerly known as the Continental Grass Court Championships, Heineken Trophy, Ordina Open, UNICEF Open, Topshelf Open and RICOH Open), is a pro ...
, a combined
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organ ...
and WTA Tour grass court tennis event played two weeks before the Wimbledon Championships. The
World Archery Championships The World Archery Championships are a series of competitions in Archery organised by the World Archery Federation (WA). The first competition held under that title took place in 1931. Competition archery takes a wide variety of formats, but the ...
and World Para Archery Championship were held here in June 2019. During these combined World Championships two separate venues were used: the Parade and the rugby fields of The Dukes. All finals took place in the arena at the Parade. The Parade is a historic square surrounded by high trees, situated at the foot of the nearly seven-hundred-year-old Saint John's Cathedral in the attractive center of 's-Hertogenbosch.


Transport

The Zuid-Willemsvaart runs from the Meuse just north of the city towards Maastricht via Helmond and Weert. In 's-Hertogenbosch it runs through the city proper, south east from where a bastion has been cut off from the citadel. Because of this route it was impossible to widen it further than for ships of CEMT class II. Therefore, the
Máxima Canal The Máxima Canal dates from 2014 and runs from the Zuid-Willemsvaart near Den Dungen to the Meuse near Gewande. Context The Máxima Canal is also known as the reroute of the Zuid-Willemsvaart or . In the early nineteenth century the Zuid-Wil ...
of 8 km was dug just east of the city, creating a shortcut from the canal to the Meuse suitable for ships of CEMT class IV. On the remaining part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart west of the city is the industrial harbor of 's-Hertogenbosch. A marina is located in the center. 's-Hertogenbosch is situated on the busy A2 motorway, the most important north–south connection of the Netherlands. This connection was established with the opening of the Dieze Bridge in 1942. From 1961 the Utrecht-'s-Hertogenbosch section was 2 times 2 lanes. In 1970 the A2 was rerouted to the east of the city. In 1989 it finally became a controlled-access highway. In 1996 the section between 's-Hertogenbosch and Eindhoven became a controlled-access highway. The situation in Maastricht was only solved in 2016, when the Koning Willem-Alexandertunnel was opened. On the east–west axis 's-Hertogenbosch is on the A59 motorway. The A65 motorway between 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg is a regional highway, but is not completely access-controlled. 's-Hertogenbosch railway station is on the Utrecht–Boxtel railway, Utrecht–Boxtel part of the railway stretch between Amsterdam and the Dutch industrial/tech center near Eindhoven. As a consequence north–south trains depart every ten minutes. On the Tilburg–Nijmegen railway trains run on a more modest schedule. 's-Hertogenbosch railway station is also a major station for Arriva buslines that serve the city and most of its suburbs. Other stations within the limits of the municipality are 's-Hertogenbosch Oost railway station and Rosmalen railway station. Vught railway station is actually closer to the city center than that in Rosmalen. 's-Hertogenbosch has attempted to adapt to the growing popularity of the bicycle in Dutch cities. A reasonable amount of bike paths has so far been constructed in the town. In 2011, the city was chosen as ''Cycling in the Netherlands#The Netherlands.27 top cycling city, Fietsstad 2011''—the top bike city of the Netherlands for 2011. The details of the report were less jubilant and showed that it was really a prize meant to stimulate 's-Hertogenbosch to take further action; Hugo van der Steenhoven of the Fietsersbond: "''In the past years Den Bosch has spent much energy, ambition, creativity and money to give cycling an enormous boost. This is a big achievement for a city where bicycle use is lower than in the rest of the Netherlands''" (cyclist union).


Education

's-Hertogenbosch has multiple vocational university, vocational universities called ''Hogeschool'' in Dutch. The HAS University of Applied Sciences, HAS Hogeschool of about 3,500 students is focused on agricultural and food technology. Avans University of Applied Sciences, Avans Hogeschool is located in 's-Hertogenbosch and two nearby cities. The AKV St. Joost is an art academy that is now part of Avans and dates back to 1812. Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Fontys Hogeschool also offers some education in the city. The Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS), located at the Mariënburg Campus in the center of 's-Hertogenbosch, and provides a number of data science programs at graduate (MSc) and post-graduate level (PhD). It is a department of the Eindhoven University of Technology and Tilburg University. In secondary education the City Gymnasium ('s-Hertogenbosch), City Gymnasium is a gymnasium (school) that originated from the Latin school of the city. It is comparable to a grammar school and can trace its origin back 1274. The same type of education and all other types of secondary education are offered by a number of large institutes.


Religion

Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in 's-Hertogenbosch, with somewhat more than 40% of the population counting themselves as belonging to it. Even so, attendance at mass is significantly lower than 40%. Therefore, the only big church in the city center still in use by the Catholic church is St. John's Cathedral. Smaller churches in use by the Roman Catholic church are: St. Anne's Church in Hintham, St. Anne's in Deuteren, Saint Lambertchurch (Rosmalen), St. Lambert's in Rosmalen etc. The Protestant religion has seen its share of believers in the city fall from 20% to about 4%. It is based in the Great Church, 's-Hertogenbosch, Great Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a new church in town. It is based on St. Catherine's Church, 's-Hertogenbosch, St. Catherine's Church. The Arrahma Mosque has been built by the Moroccan community. The Turkish community has the Orhan Gazi Mosque.


Notable residents


Public thinking and public service

* Erasmus (1484–1497), priest and humanist scholar * Macropedius (1487–1558), a Dutch humanist, schoolmaster and Latin playwright * John Slotanus (died 1560), a Dutch Roman Catholic polemical writer * Johannes Chrysostomus vander Sterre (1591–1652), an ecclesiastical writer and abbot * Johan Bax van Herenthals (1637–1678), the governor of the Dutch Cape Colony 1676/1678 * Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande (1704–1775), governor of Essequibo (colony), Essequibo and Demerara * Petrus Josephus Johannus Sophia Marie van der Does de Willebois (1843–1937), a Dutch jonkheer, politician and Mayor of 's-Hertogenbosch * Joseph Sweens (1858–1950), an Catholic Church, RC missionary bishop in Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Victoria Nyanza, South Nyanza in German East Africa * Christiaan Cornelissen (1864–1942), a Dutch syndicalist writer, economist and trade unionist * Henk Sneevliet (1883–1942), a Dutch Communist, active in both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies * Frans Teulings (1891–1966), a Dutch politician and economist * Pieter Godfried Maria van Meeuwen (1899–1982), a Dutch judge and a politician * Jan de Quay (1901–1985), a politician and psychologist; Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1959/1963 * Bert Röling (1906–1985), a Dutch jurist and founding father of polemology, the study of war * Louis van de Laar (1921–2004), a Dutch politician and historian * Bram Stemerdink (born 1936), a retired Dutch politician and army officer * Don Burgers (1932–2006), a Dutch politician, mayor of 's-Hertogenbosch from 1989 to 1996 * Marco Kroon (born 1970), soldier with the Korps Commandotroepen * Matthijs van Miltenburg (born 1972), a politician, municipal councillor 2010/2014 and Member of the European Parliament, MEP 2014/2019


Science and business

* Gerardus Mercator (ca.1520–1530), a geographer, cosmographer and cartographer * Wilhelm de Raet (ca.1537-1583), a Dutch hydraulic engineer and master builder, worked in Lucca * Willem 's Gravesande (1688–1742), a Dutch academic, mathematician and natural philosopher, developed the laws of classical mechanics * Gerard Troost (1776–1850), a Dutch-American medical doctor, naturalist and mineralogist * Jacob Moleschott (1822–1893), physiologist and writer on dietetics and scientific materialism * Diederik Korteweg (1848–1941), a mathematician, co-wrote the Korteweg–de Vries equation * Jacob R. H. Neervoort van de Poll (1862–1924), an entomologist specialising in Coleoptera * Peter Reijnders (1900–1974), a photographer and film director; co-founded the theme park Efteling * Frans de Waal (born 1948), primatologist, ethologist and academic


The arts

*
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
(ca.1450–1516), painter of the Early Netherlandish painting school. * Hubert Gerhard (ca.1540–1620), a Dutch sculptor * Abraham van Diepenbeeck (1596–1675), a Dutch painter of the Flemish School * Theodoor van Thulden (1606–1669), a painter and engraver of altarpieces and portraits. * Quirinus van Amelsfoort (1760–1820), a Dutch painter of allegories, history and portraits * Karel Sluijterman (1863–1931), a Dutch architect, furniture designer, interior designer, illustrator, ceramist, book binding designer and professor * Anton Sistermans (1865–1926), a Dutch baritone, singer of lieder and oratorios * Sophie van der Does de Willebois (1891–1961), a Dutch ceramist * Charles Bolsius (1907–1983), painter and woodworker * Willem van den Hout (1915–1985), a Dutch writer of the Bob Evers series of children's books * Jos van Veldhoven (born 1952), a Dutch choral conductor * Leon de Winter (born 1954), writer and columnist IMDb Database
retrieved 10 February 2020
* Oscar van Dillen (born 1958), a Dutch composer, conductor and instrumentalist


Sport

* Henri Smulders (1863–1933), a sailor and team silver medallist at the 1900 Summer Olympics * Sjef van Run (1904–1973), a Dutch footballer, appeared 359 times for PSV Eindhoven * Wim van Heumen (1928–1992), a field hockey coach and municipal councillor 1970/1992 * Gijs van Heumen (born 1952), a retired field hockey coach, son of Wim van Heumen, Wim * Cees Schapendonk (born 1955), a former football striker with over 510 club caps * Sophie von Weiler (born 1958), a retired Dutch field hockey forward, team gold and bronze medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics * Arnold Scholten (born 1962), a retired football midfielder with over 440 club caps * Marcel Brands (born 1962), a former professional footballer, former Director of Football at Everton F.C. * Fred van der Hoorn (born 1963), a Dutch former footballer with over 500 club caps * Manon Bollegraf (born 1964), a former professional female tennis player * Annemarie Verstappen (born 1965), a female former freestyle swimmer, team silver and double bronze medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics * Mijntje Donners (born 1974), field hockey player, with 234 caps for the Dutch National Women's Team, and team silver and bronze medallist at three Summer Olympics * Anthony Lurling (born 1977), a Dutch former footballer with 587 club caps * brothers Geert-Jan Derikx (born 1980) & Rob Derikx (born 1982), field hockey players, team silver medallists at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Henri van Opstal (born 1989), a Dutch kickboxer * Robin van Roosmalen (born 1989), a Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist * Maikel Scheffers (born 1982), wheelchair tennis player, bronze medallist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics * Andy Souwer (born 1982), a Dutch welterweight shoot boxer and mixed martial artist * Maartje Goderie (born 1984), a Dutch field hockey player, twice team gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics * Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel (born 1987), a Dutch field hockey player, team gold and silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics * Marianne Vos (born 1987), a Dutch cyclo-cross, road, track and mountain bicycle racer * Kenny van Gaalen (born 1988), a Dutch sidecarcross rider * Toon Greebe (born 1988), a Dutch darts player * Patrick van Aanholt (born 1990), a Dutch professional footballer with over 280 club caps * Michiel van der Heijden (born 1992), a Dutch mountain biker and Cyclo-Cross Rider.


References and notes


Literature

*


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hertogenbosch 's-Hertogenbosch, 1185 establishments in Europe Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant Provincial capitals of the Netherlands Holocaust locations in the Netherlands