The Nassau Monument or Barony Monument commemorates the arrival of the German count Engelbrecht van Nassau in the Netherlands. The three reliefs show how he and his wife, 11-year-old Johanna van Polanen, born in Breda, were inaugurated as Lord and Lady of Breda. With their marriage, Engelbrecht and Johanna laid the foundations for the House of Orange Nassau, our Dutch royal family.

The Valkenberg park is the green oasis in downtown Breda. A park with royal allure where, until the early nineteenth century, only castle residents and their guests were welcome. Today, it is a wonderful meeting place. Students seek the sun here, or just the shade of the century-old trees. Fathers and mothers let their offspring play in the playground while they themselves settle down on the terrace of T-Huis. Even the dozens of chickens and geese feel right at home here.

Beguines were single women who formed a community within the church but had not taken perpetual vows. They were allowed to earn their own living and did so, for example, by running a ‘custodial school’, caring for the sick, manual labour, and praying for the deceased for a fee.

Immediately on the left in the Catharinastraat you will see the Waalse Kerk, a typical medieval city chapel and the only preserved Gothic chapel from the early 15th century. This intimate church was built as the Wendelinus chapel by order of Johanna van Polanen. After the relocation of the Beguinage, the Wendelinus Chapel became the church for the beguines. Later the church passed tot he Walloon congregation. Officers and cadets had their won pews here. Poet Jacques Perk’s father was Walloon minister here from 1868 to 1872. Today, the church is used for exhibitions, concerts, and receptions. In June, July and August, the church is open to the public on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 12.00 to 17.00. however, due to circumstances, the Walloon Church is sometimes closed. Check the website for current opening hours.

In 1984, Ir. Willem Merkx retired as mayor of Breda. It was his wish to turn the wasteland behind the court houses at the Catharinastraat into a beautiful garden. As a farewell gift, the people of Breda offered him this sculpture garden. From the Merkxtuin you have a nice view of the back of the patrician houses in the Catharinastraat. The garden is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and entry is free of charge. On market days, It is also a great place to listen to the carillon of The Grote Kerk at 11 a.m.

De Grote Markt is the heart of the city of Breda where, as soon as the sun shows itself, the terraces fill up. Settle down for a drink under the shady plane trees or choose from one of the many restaurants for a tasty lunch or dinner. De Grote Markt then and now De Grote Markt, the city’s highest point, has been used as a marketplace for centuries. Graines were mainly traded in the beginning. The general goods markets, as currently held on Tuesday and Friday mornings, dates back to 1321. Since the 17th century, the city carillonneur has been playing the carillon of De Grote Toren during market days. De Grote Market used to also be the site for executions. The clock in the turret of City Hall summoned curious Breda residents to witness the gruesome spectacle. Fortunately, these days it’s mostly cosy.

The 15th-century Grote Kerk or Onze Lieve Vrouwe Church is the pride of Breda. Originally Catholic, it passed into reformed hands after the iconoclasm. Count Engelbrecht van Nassau commissioned the church, with its crypt for his family, to be built in the 15th century. Nine Nassaus and the first Prince of Oranje found their final resting place here.

The Havermarkt and the surrounding streets have traditionally been Breda’s nightlife centre. On this cosy little square at the foot of the Grote Kerk you will find all kinds of nightlife venue. The same goes for the Vismarktstraat, Visserstraat and Haven. This place may have been called Havermarkt, but cereals were not traded here, but on the Grote Markt. However, farmers from the surrounding area did come here to sell their vegetables, eggs, and butter. In the 17th century, there was also a leather market here. The old names of this little square: Groenmarkt, Botermarkt, and Korenmarkt tell a more accurate story about its former functions.

Breda Castle was once the ancestral home of the Nassaus, the ancestors of our royal family. Because of the important international role of the Nassaus, the Castle was an important place in Europe during the 15th to 17th centuries. There has been a fortification on the site of the current castle as early as 1198. The castle came into the hands of the Nassaus in the early 15th century through the marriage of German count Engelbrecht van Nassau to Breda’s Johanna van Polanen. The castle has been demolished and rebuilt almost continuously over the centuries.