Discover Brabant at its most beautiful and follow the Van Gogh cycling route Etten-Leur, a 49 km bicycle ride through beautiful landscapes passing many sites that influenced Van Gogh’s career as an artist.
- Visit the site where Van Gogh took his first steps as a painter.
- Cycle past the many locations he portrayed in his drawings and paintings.
- Learn about Van Gogh’s life and work at the Vincent van Gogh Information Centre.
Vincent Van Gogh’s career as an artist started in the place that is now the Vincent van Gogh Information Centre: the old sexton’s house on Markt square in Etten-Leur. This is where Vincent returned to live with his parents in 1881, where he decided to focus on drawing and painting after having tried to work as a teacher, preacher and art trader.
The great influence of his first years
He set up his first atelier at the old rectory. He studied old masters, drew his first models and discovered the beauty of his surroundings, which he often portrayed in his drawings and paintings. The information centre located there today can tell you more about this and about the sites that had such an influence on his work and life.
The route
Along the way you will explore the beautiful Brabant landscape, such as the Liesbos with its beautiful marshlands and birds, and the beautiful villages and buildings that Vincent liked to portray. The Leursestraatje, for instance, a road lined by pollard willows that he drew – trees his extraordinary eyes saw as people marked by life.
You will also see the old rectory, or Jan Proviliy’s boarding school, where Vincent spent several years as a boy. In other words, the Van Gogh Etten-Leur cycling route is a beautiful trip that has much to tell you about the years Van Gogh spent in this area.
Addresses you will encounter:
- Leursestraatje, corner of Stationsstraat/Anne van Bechemlaan, Etten-Leur
- Former rectory, Markt 6, Etten-Leur
- Moeierboom (linden tree dating from 1675), Markt, Etten-Leur
- Jan Provily’s boarding school, Stationsstraat 16, Zevenbergen
- Grote Kerk (Great Church), Kerkplein 2, Breda
Practical information
- Number of kilometres: 49
- Start and end point: Vincent van Gogh Information Centre, Markt 4, Etten-Leur
- You will follow these junctions: 7, 44, 2, 20, 82, 5, 35, 33, 36, 37, 41, 1, 10, 13, 8, 45, 24, 23, 7