Zundert () is a

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 ...

and

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the south of 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 ...

bordering

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, in the province 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 t ...

. Zundert is the birthplace of

post-impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction ag ...

painter

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

History

The name of Zundert is first mentioned in a certificate dating from 1157, in which the

Bishop of Liege A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

confirms a donation from the place "Sunderda". This Sunderda actually relates to the current settlement of Klein-Zundert (Dutch for Small Zundert), one of the first settlements in the area. The local monks, besides their religious labour, were also involved in clearing the land, that was still rough territory, filled with swamps, peats and heath fields. The monks also assisted in improving agricultural methods. Zundert is still surrounded by a rural environment with nature areas, one of them is the "Buissche Heide", a heath area used for recreation and walking. The Kalmthoutse Heide, across the border with

, is also in the vicinity. During 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 ...

Zundert, Achtmaal, Wernhout and Klein-Zundert were liberated during the allied offensive

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensi ...

on October 27, Rijsbergen on October 28. Achtmaal was liberated by the 415th Infantry Regiment of the US 104th (Timberwolf) Infantry Division, Zundert and Klein-Zundert by the 413th Infantry Regiment of the 104th (Timberwolf) Infantry Division, and Wernhout and Rijsbergen by the 414th Infantry Regiment of the 104th (Timberwolf) Infantry Division. At a small distance from the town, an old tavern called "In Den Anker" can be found, which has the oldest license in the Netherlands. It originally dates from 1635, but was rebuilt in 1913.

Geography

The municipality of Zundert contains the following places: Zundert lies about above Dutch sea level ( NAP), and is located south-west of the city of

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, and north-east of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. Zundert is surrounded by the municipalities

Etten-Leur Etten-Leur () is a municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. Its name is a combination of the two villages from which the municipality originally acrose: Etten and Leur. History The villages were always part of one municipality, originally ...

and

on the north,

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Hoogstraten ...

(Belgium) on the east,

Wuustwezel Wuustwezel () is a municipality located in the north of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality as it is now originated in 1977, when Wuustwezel merged with the municipality of Loenhout. It now consists of three major villages, Wuustwe ...

(Belgium) on the south, Kalmthout (Belgium) on the southwest, and

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...

(Belgium) and Rucphen on the west. Zundert is one of the most

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

municipalities of the Netherlands. 10% of all nursery production of the Netherlands is around Zundert. Production of

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

and young field grown trees and hedging plants is very important in the area.

Architecture

Albasten beeld van Sint Michael - Zundert - 20226162 - RCE

The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church of Zundert, dedicated to Saint Trudo, was built in 1927, and contains art treasures from the 17th century, coming from the St. Michielsabdij in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, including an original sculpture made by

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

artist

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

. These treasures consist of marble altar tables, three Alabaster sculptures, several paintings and two carved oaken confessionals. The church itself was designed by

Jan Stuyt Jan Stuyt (21 August 1868, Purmerend - 11 July 1934, The Hague) was a Dutch architect. Childhood and Education Stuyt was born the son of a cattle farmer. Due to the headmaster of his school, he was employed in 1883 at the office of Adrianus B ...

, a pupil of the architect

Pierre Cuypers Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers (16 May 1827 – 3 March 1921) was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. ...

. Stuyt also designed the church of nearby Klein-Zundert in the same municipality. The town hall of Zundert was built in 1830 in neoclassical style and demolished and rebuilt in the same style in 1965. The Netherlands' first female architect,

Margaret Staal-Kropholler Margaret Staal-Kropholler, frequently referred to as Margaret Kropholler, (27 June 1891, Haarlem - 15 November 1966, Amsterdam) was the first woman in the Netherlands to practice as a professional architect. Biography After completing her school ...

, built a studio in 1919 for visual artist Richard Roland Holst and his wife, poet and politician Henriëtte Roland Holst-van der Schalk on the Buissche Heide. The studio was built in the style of the Amsterdam School.

Windmills

De Akkermolen te Zundert schuin van voren gefotografeerd - Zundert - 20361446 - RCE

Zundert is the home of a 17th-century windmill, called ' De Akkermolen' (The Croftmill). It is said to have been originally built in 1652. It is a standard mill, and it was built to process grain. The mill had numerous private owners in the past, including

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

Willem V, as the Baron of Breda, who became owner in 1794. In the early 1900s the mill was owned by Wilhelmus van der Stappen. The mill was heavily damaged in 1950, and its existence was threatened several occasions after that. The Akkermolen is currently owned by the municipality of Zundert, which bought it in 1959, the last private owners being the Herijgers family. After the mill was taken over by Zundert, it needed serious restoration, which took place in 1961. Another restoration took place in 1991, but then, the entire mill needed to be taken apart and restored. The Akkermolen can be visited, after arranging an appointment at Akkermolenweg 15. The town had other mills in the past, one of them was a stone-mill called "De Eendracht", which stood on Moleneind, currently known as Poteind. It burned down on January 23, 1909. The owner at the time, Jaak Theeuwis, had already lost a wooden mill in Zundert, which was blown down in the previous year of 1908. A store called "de Boerenbond" is now located on the former mills location.

Vincent van Gogh

Zundert is the birthplace and childhood home of the famous

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. He was born on 30 March 1853 in a little house on Zundert's main street, "Markt 29". The former house is gone as it was too dilapidated to preserve, but a plaque at this location still commemorates his birth. In May 2007 the renovation of the house at Markt 29, and the neighbouring house, started. After the renovation, the Vincent van Gogh house was opened in August 2008. People can still visit the Dutch Reformed church built in 1806 in which the father of Vincent, Theodorus van Gogh, started preaching in 1849. In the graveyard is the grave of Vincent's one year older brother, who died soon in infancy - also called Vincent van Gogh. Vincent did not paint when he lived in Zundert, but drew some sketches. In letters to his brother Theo, Vincent recalls Zundert, and its surroundings a few times when writing about childhood, serenity and learning about life. Because he died in the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

town of

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, literally ''Auvers on Oise'') is a commune in the department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is associated with several famous artists, the most promin ...

, on 29 July 1890, a special relation between these two places exists. This can, for example, be noticed by the existence of a slightly hidden Auvers-sur-Oise Street, ending at the Van Gogh Square. To keep Vincent's memory alive, the municipality of Zundert started the project of realising a Vincent van Gogh house. Rather than a classical museum, it is an active environment, with a presentation about van Gogh's life, interactive education, a documentation room and also permanent and temporary expositions. Tourist information is also located in the building, as well as a pleasant bar with a garden terrace. There is a bronze monument made by the French artist

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

of Vincent and his brother Theo on the "Vincent van Gogh Plein" (Vincent van Gogh square). The statue of Vincent and Theo van Gogh was unveiled on 28 May 1964 by the former Dutch queen

Juliana Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, wh ...

. The statue is an abstracted representation of Vincent's connection with his brother Theo. There are several activities relating to Vincent van Gogh, you can go to tourist information Zundert about participating in these activities, which is in the Vincent van Gogh house, opposite the town hall.

Flower parade

Bloemencorso Zundert was first held in 1936, in honour of then-queen

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

, making it the oldest hugely elaborate flower

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

in Europe. Every year, the parade commences on the first Sunday of September with the floats remaining on show for the subsequent Monday (considered a holiday by the inhabitants). It is the largest flower parade in the world. The number of visitors can reach up to 50.000 people annually. Huge, and often impressive lorry mounted sculptures covered in thousands of

dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

flowers parade through the town. Limitations on the size and maximum dimensions of the floats were first defined in 1989, ensuring safe passage of the parade through the streets of Zundert. Considered an honour by the people of Zundert, the floats are typically pushed by volunteers. There are twenty hamlets competing in Bloemencorso Zundert, each of them constructing their own entry. They are entirely made up of volunteers. The twenty heralds are credited with having their own culture, identity, flag and dahlia fields in and around the municipality, used to decorate the floats for the parade. Collectively, this amounts to about 33 hectares with 600.000 dahlia plants in 50 different colours and varieties. The members of each hamlet, plant the flower bulbs, trim the weeds and pick the flowers themselves, cultivating around 6 million dahlias in Zundert of the total of 8 million dahlias needed for the entire Corso each year. Where needed, the Bloemencorso Zundert relies on other Flower Parades and a few professional growers to fill up shortages of flowers. On 13 October 2012, the Bloemencorso Zundert became the first Dutch tradition on the national inventory of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

Convention for the Protection of

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. I ...

, ratified by the Netherlands on 15 May 2012. This ratification was publicly announced by State Secretary Halbe Zijlstra during the parade on 2 September 2012. The Bloemencorso Zundert was cancelled in 2020 due to the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the first time since the

. In 2022, the flower parade will be held on 4 and 5 September.

Notable people

Vincent van Gogh - Self-Portrait - Google Art Project (454045)

Zundert has been home to: *

Hendrik Detmers Hendrik Detmers ( Sprundel/ Groot-Zundert, 20 March 1761 – The Hague, 8 September 1825), was a Dutch general who played an important part in the Battle of Waterloo as a colonel, commanding a brigade. Life Detmers was a son of Johan Detmers ...

(1761 in Groot-Zundert – 1825), Dutch general in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...

* Henri van der Hoeven (born in Breda in 1943, died in Zundert, 21 mei 1924) was a Dutch lawyer and professor specialised in criminal law. In 1898, he became member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

. He was also briefly

Rector Magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city o ...

for the academic year 1901-1902. *

(1853-1890), Dutch post-impressionist painter * Theo van Gogh (1857-1891), Dutch art dealer, brother of Vincent van Gogh and great-grandfather of film director, satirist and writer Theo van Gogh. * Wil van Gogh (1862-1941), Dutch feminist and the youngest sister of Vincent and Theo van Gogh. * Richard Roland Holst (1868-1938) Dutch painter, draftsman,

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

, book cover designer,

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and writer and his wife, Henriette Roland Holst-van der Schalk (1869–1952) Dutch

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

, nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, spent their summers on their estate on the Buissche Heide. Janus Braspennincx en Jan Pijnenburg

Janus Braspennincx Adrianus Jacobus "Janus" Braspennincx (5 March 1903 in Zundert – 7 January 1977 in Breda) was a Dutch racing cyclist who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. In the 1928 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal as part of the Dutch pursuit te ...

(1903 in Zundert – 1977) Dutch racing cyclist, team silver medallist in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated fro ...

* Guus Dam (1951 in Zundert), Dutch actor *

Johan van der Velde Johan van der Velde (born 12 December 1956 in Rijsbergen) is a former Dutch cyclist. In the 1980 Tour de France, he won the young rider classification, also placing 12th in the general classification that year. He had been a racing cyclist for ...

(born 1956 in Rijsbergen), former Dutch cyclist *

Jacques Hanegraaf Jacobus Johannes Henricus "Jacques" Hanegraaf (born 14 December 1960) is a retired road bicycle racer from the Netherlands, who was a professional rider from 1981 to 1994. He twice won the Dutch title in the men's road race (1981 and 1985). His ...

(born 1960 in Rijsbergen), retired Dutch road bicycle racer, competed at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

Jelle Nijdam Jelle Nijdam (born 16 August 1963) is a Dutch former professional road cyclist. Nijdam turned professional after the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He participated in the Tour de France 10 times, winning six stages and wearing the yellow ...

(born 1963 in Rijsbergen), former professional cyclist, competed at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

* Jan Siemons (1964), former Dutch professional cyclist * Marc Siemons (1966-2002), Dutch professional cyclist * Wim Voermans (born in 1968 in Zundert), Dutch professor of constitutional and administrative law at Leiden University. *

Jacco Verhaeren Jacco Verhaeren (born April 4, 1969 in Rijsbergen) is a Dutch swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinate ...

(born 1969 in Rijsbergen), Dutch swimming coach, Netherlands Coach of the Decade in 2010, and honoured in 2012 with

Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

(Royal Knight of Orange-Nassau). * Willemijn van Hees (1970), Dutch politician * Vera Siemons (1993) is a dutch radio- dj for

NPO 3FM NPO 3FM is a Dutch rhythmic CHR radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. The vast majority of the songs played on-air are rock, alternative, indie and pop, though dance and Mega Top 30 tracks may also air at times. History As R ...

en creator of the podcast ' De Lesbische Liga'.

Gallery

File:P1040694Sint-Trudokerk (Zundert).JPG, Sint-Trudokerk, Zundert File:Pastorie Klein-Zundert - Klein Zundertseweg 7.jpg, Pastorie, Klein-Zundert File:Breedschotsestraat 4.jpg, Breedschotsestraat, Rijsbergen File:Aa of Weerijs 1.jpg, Aa of Weerijs, near Krabbenbosschen File:Zundert DSCF3871.JPG, De Willaert, Zundert File:Wallsteijn P1060862.JPG, Landhuis Wallsteijn File:Kropholler-huisje-buiten-verderweg-mensen.jpg, Atelier on the Buissche Heide, Achtmaal File:Angorahoeve (Achtmaal) DSCF6282.jpg, Angorahoeve, Achtmaal File:Zundert - Rucphenseweg 37 - Landhuis De Moeren.jpg, Landhuis de Moeren, Zundert File:Oorlogsmonument (Rijsbergen).jpg, Second World War monument, Rijsbergen

References

External links

*
Official website
*Official website of the https://corsozundert.nl/en/home-2/ Bloemencorso Zundert] {{Authority control Zundert, Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant