Across the street from the town hall, at the Markt in Zundert, painter Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 as the son of a parson. The parsonage was close to the church where his father was preaching, next to the graveyard where his older stillborn brother, with whom he shared his name, was buried.At the square in front of the church, sculptor Ossip Zadkine created a monument for the love between two brothers: Vincent and Theo van Gogh.
The original house where Vincent was born was deconstructed in 1903 to make way for a new parsonage. The plaque made by Niel Steenbergen that decorates the facade of this building commemorates the birth of this famous Zundertenaar. It is on this spot that the Vincent van GoghHuis was built and it was constructed by combining two distinctive buildings: the ‘new’ parsonage and a characteristic parson’s house.
When the buildings were renovated a well was discovered. This well provided the Van Gogh family with clean drinking water.The beautiful garden at the back of the buildings is 2100m2. In it is an old shed that will be renovated to accommodate visiting groups and workshops. The garden itself will be turned into a stylish terrace and will be available for outdoor expositions.
The realisation of the Vincent van GoghHuis consists of two phases. In the first phase the two buildings on Van Gogh’s birth soil were renovated, interconnected and decorated. So the Van GoghHuis is completed and ready for its visitors. The second phase will consist of building a large exposition room in the famous painter’s birth soil. A large and partly underground exposition room, measuring 400m2 will be built in the garden of the buildings at the Markt. This spectacular room will be used for expositions of world-renowned artists whose art is inspired by the life and work of Van Gogh.
Designer of the Vincent van GoghHuis: Ernst Havermans and Oomen Architects Breda.
