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Van Gogh in Helvoirt
Where the Van Gogh family lived
Vincent van Gogh and his family have a special connection with Helvoirt. Vincent would visit Helvoirt on church holidays and birthdays. His father was a minister here from 1871 to 1875. In addition to Vincent’s parents, brothers and sisters, several other family members lived in this village. A number of buildings, graves and a Statenbijbel still bear witness to the Van Gogh family’s time in Helvoirt.
Helvoirt has a total of seven Van Gogh Monuments: the old Reformed church, the Reformed vicarage, and the grave of Uncle Johannes. the house of Van Gogh’s aunts Antje, Doortje and Mietje at Oude Rijksweg 34; and the properties where the De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen family, who were friends of the Van Goghs, lived: the Mariënhof Estate, Zwijnsbergen Castle and Villa Jagtlust.
Walking and cycling in Helvoirt
In Helvoirt, you can follow the Van Gogh National Park walk. A beautiful walk (15 km), which starts at St Nicholas’ Church (Kastanjelaan 16). There is also a Van Gogh cycle route. Three of the seven Van Gogh monuments in Helvoirt are currently included along this 21-kilometre Van Gogh cycle route.
Discover the routes
Guided walks
Make your visit to Helvoirt complete by taking a walk with a (Dutch-speaking) guide. During the village walk, you’ll literally take a step back in time. Accompanied by an enthusiastic Dutch-speaking guide, you’ll walk past the official Van Gogh monuments. You can also opt for the nature walk. The nature guides will be delighted to take you out into the countryside around Helvoirt. You’ll walk through the beautiful, undulating landscape surrounding Zwijnsbergen Castle, through the marshland and past the embankments. This is the landscape that Vincent van Gogh loved so much and from which he drew his inspiration.
Further information
Van Gogh monuments in Helvoirt
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Aunts’ house
HelvoirtVincent would have seen the building site in the winter of 1874, whilst taking an evening stroll along the Rijksweg. The house is intended for...
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Mariënhof
HelvoirtThe Van Gogh family visited here regularly, as family letters reveal. Vincent, too, was familiar with the spacious villa in Helvoirt on the main road…
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Rectory
4268 AS HelvoirtOn 31 January 1871, the Van Gogh family moved into the stately vicarage diagonally opposite the Protestant church in Helvoirt.
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Grave of Uncle Johannes van Gogh
5268 AE HelvoirtVan Gogh’s aunts Antje, Doortje and Mietje are not the next Van Goghs to settle in Helvoirt following the minister’s family. Just over a year after their arrival...
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Protestant church
5268 AN HelvoirtSince February 1871, Vincent’s father had been the minister of the Reformed congregation in Helvoirt. Two drawings have survived.
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Hunting Lodge with Coach House
Torenstraat 45
HelvoirtHunting lodge with coach house in Helvoirt. The Van Gogh family were allowed to use the garden.
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Zwijnsbergen Castle
Helvoirtsestraat 6
HelvoirtDuring their years in Helvoirt, the Van Goghs became friends with the Protestant De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen family. They would spend Christmas at the country estate...
