The city's official name is a contraction of the (archaic)Dutchdes Hertogen bosch —'the forest of the duke'. The duke in question wasHenry I, Duke of Brabant, whose family had owned a large estate at nearby Orthen for at least four centuries. He founded a new town located on some forested dunes in the middle of a marsh. At age 26, he granted 's-Hertogenboschcity rights and the corresponding trade privileges in 1185. This is the traditional date given by later chroniclers; the first mention in contemporaneous sources is 1196. The originalcharter has been lost. His reason for founding the city was to protect his own interests against encroachment fromGelre andHolland; from its first days, he conceived of the city as a fortress. It was destroyed in 1203 in a joint expedition of Gelre and Holland, but was soon rebuilt. Some remnants of the original city walls remain.
's-Hertogenbosch in the 16th century
In the late 14th century, a much larger wall was erected to protect the greatly expanded settled area. Artificial waterways were dug to serve as a city moat, through which the riversDommel andAa were diverted. 's-Hertogenbosch became the birthplace and home ofnorthern Renaissance painterHieronymus Bosch.
Until 1520, the city flourished, becoming the second largest population centre in the territory of the present Netherlands, afterUtrecht. The city was also a center of music, and composers, such asJheronimus Clibano, received their training at its churches. Others held positions there:Matthaeus Pipelare was musical director at the Confraternity of Our Lady; and renowned Habsburg copyist and composerPierre Alamire did much of his work at 's-Hertogenbosch.
The wars of theReformation changed the course of the city's history. It became an independentbishopric. During theEighty Years' War, the city took the side of theHabsburg (Catholic) authorities and thwarted aCalvinist coup. It was besieged several times by PrinceMaurice ofOrange,stadtholder of most of theDutch Republic, who wanted to bring 's-Hertogenbosch under the rule of the rebel United Provinces. The city was successfully defended against Prince Maurice in1601 and again in 1603,[7] but it eventually fell in the1629 siege led by his brotherFrederick Henry.[8]
In theyears of Truce, before the renewed fighting after 1618, the fortifications were greatly expanded. The surrounding marshes made a siege of the conventional type impossible, and the fortress, deemed impregnable, was nicknamedmoerasdraak, or the Swamp Dragon.[9] The town was nevertheless finally conquered byFrederik Hendrik of Orange in 1629 in a typically Dutch stratagem: he diverted the rivers Dommel and Aa, created apolder by constructing a forty-kilometre (25 mile)dyke and then pumped out the water by mills. After a siege of three months, the city had to surrender—an enormous blow to Habsburg geo-political strategy during theThirty Years' War. This surrender cut the town off from the rest of the duchy and the area was treated by the Republic as anoccupation zone without political liberties (see alsoGenerality Lands).
After thePeace of Westphalia, the fortifications were again expanded. In 1672, the Dutchrampjaar, the city held against the army ofLouis XIV of France. In 1794 French revolutionary troops under the command ofCharles Pichegru attacked the city. It was only weakly defended, and fell after a short siege. Pichegru then crossed the rivers and put an end to the Dutch Republic.
Under the newBatavian Republic, established in 1795, both Catholics andBrabanders at last gained equal rights. From 1806, the city became part of theKingdom of Holland and from 1810, it was incorporated into theFirst French Empire. It was captured by thePrussians in 1814.
The next year, 1815, when theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands was established, it became the capital ofNorth Brabant. Many newer and more modern fortresses were created in the vicinity of the city. A new canal was built, the 'Zuid-Willemsvaart', which gave the city an economic impulse. Trade, manufacturing and industry grew. Until 1878, it was forbidden to build outside the ramparts. That led to overcrowding and the highestinfant mortality in the kingdom.
At the end of the 19th century, the very conservative city government prevented industrial investment to avoid an increase in the number of workers and the establishment of educational institutions: students were regarded as disorderly. As a result, the relative importance of the city diminished.
One of the few officialNaziconcentration camp complexes inWestern Europe outside Germany andAustria was named after 's-Hertogenbosch. It operated from January 1943, to September 1944 and was known to the Germans asHerzogenbusch (see List of subcamps of Herzogenbusch). About 30,000 inmates were interned in the complex during this time, of whom about 12,000 wereJews. In the Netherlands, this camp is known as 'KampVught', because the concentration camp was actually located at a heath near Vught, a village a few kilometres south of 's-Hertogenbosch.
After the war, 's-Hertogenbosch was modernized, like many other cities in the Netherlands. It was possible that it was only the geography that shielded the old town from rigorous reconstruction in those early years. Just in time, the pendulum swung back to protecting the history of the city. In 1956, the council wanted to demolish the Moriaan, the oldest brick building in the Netherlands, to give traffic better access to the market square. The permit was refused by the government and instead the building was restored, starting in 1963. Later, city councils became much more aware of the value of historic buildings and from about the turn of the millennium, the historic fortifications are also given much attention by the authorities.
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[11]
The city of 's-Hertogenbosch has become a center of industry, education, administration and culture. It is currently the fourth city ofNorth Brabant. It is home to many national and international businesses such asHeineken,Epic,Tyco International,SAP and many others. TheJeroen Bosch Hospital is the biggest employer in the area, with over 4,000 employees.[13]
's-Hertogenbosch is home to a variety of events such as the theatre festivalBoulevard,Jazz in Duketown, and hip hop in duketown, the start of theTour de France (1996),Tour Feminin (1997), theInternational Vocal Competition,November Music (a contemporary music festival) and the UNICEF Open (formerly theOrdina Open) grass court tennis tournament (in the nearby town ofRosmalen). There are also over 350 restaurants, pubs and cafés to be found in the city.[citation needed]
's-Hertogenbosch is also home to the European Ceramic Work Centre. This is a juried international ceramic residency where they invite artists, designers and architects from around to the world to explore the medium of Ceramics. This program was initially started in 1991 and continues to this day.
The city has its own food speciality, theBossche Bol — effectively a giantprofiterole, somewhat larger than a tennis ball, which is filled withwhipped cream and coated withchocolate.
The spoken language isMaaslands [nl] (the variant spoken in 's-Hertogenbosch is calledBosch which is placed among the Central NorthBrabantian dialects, although other classification systems also describe it asEast Brabantian), which is very similar to colloquialDutch.[14]
TheNoordbrabants Museum is a provincial museum with an overview of works thatVincent van Gogh made in Brabant. TheDesign Museum Den Bosch is a modern art museum. TheJheronimus Bosch Art Center, is dedicated to the work ofHieronymus Bosch. Other museums include theSwan Brothers' House andMuseum Slager. Also the National (Dutch) Carnavalsmuseum Oeteldonks gemintemuzejum is located in the city. In the near future a new museum will be opened about the fortresses of the town and in general in Europe.[citation needed] The house where the famous painter Hieronymus produced his paintings can be visited on the market square.
Mayor Ton Rombouts, the Mayor of Oeteldonk, and the prince at City Hall in 2007
's-Hertogenbosch has a strongcarnival tradition. In its current form the story and symbolism dates from 1881 to 1883. In these years some citizens created the legend of "Oeteldonk", whereby the city was renamed to Oeteldonk for the three day carnival. "Donk" is a reference to a dry place in themarsh. The frog is widely used as a symbol during the 's-Hertogenbosch Carnival. It is also a symbol of the Oeteldonkmarsh.[15] It was also a remark aimed at Bishop Godschalk from Den Dungen, where 'Van den Oetelaar' was a common family name. He had wanted to forbid the traditional festivities ofShrove Tuesday that often led to excesses.
Oeteldonk is a village and therefore every inhabitant is a farmer or a 'durske' (a girl or young woman), eliminating class differences.[16] The village is headed by the Mayor "Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd". Each year the mayor of 's-Hertogenbosch hands over his authority to the Mayor of Oeteldonk. On Sunday at 11:11 AM the Mayor of Oeteldonk then receives Prince Carnaval "Prince Amadeiro XXVI" at Oeteldonk central station. From there a parade of all carnival clubs escorts the company to the town hall.
The citizens of 's-Hertogenbosch wear traditional outfits throughout these days. A so-calledboerenkiel is worn and every year patches are designed according to that years theme which can then be stitched onto the outfit. Theboerenkiel is often combined with a traditional farmers bandana and a long scarf in the colors of Oeteldonk. The tradition of the Boerenkiel and / or Bandana is very different from the carnival traditions in the rest of the Netherlands. Other aspects like the parade, the temporary name and the temporary flag (for Oeteldonk red, white and yellow) are very similar.
's-Hertogenbosch was founded as a fortified city and that heritage can still be seen today. After World War II, plans were made to modernise the old city, by filling in the canals, removing or modifying some ramparts and redeveloping historic neighbourhoods. Before these plans could come to effect, the central government declared the city a protected townscape. Most historic elements have been preserved. In contrast to cities likeRotterdam, 's-Hertogenbosch also survived theSecond World War relatively unscathed. Much of its historic heritage remains intact, and today there are always renovations going on in the city to preserve the many old buildings, fortifications, churches and statues for later generations.[citation needed]
The city center has a cosy atmosphere because of the almost continuous ramparts that still surround it. It has been molded by the multiple rivers that convene on 's-Hertogenbosch, giving the center its strange street plan so different from the usualgrid plan where streets meet at right angles. The center is dominated bySaint John's Cathedral (Sint-Janskathedraal inDutch), which dates from c. 1220 and is best known for itsBrabantine Gothic design and the many sculptures of craftsmen that are sitting on almost every arc and rim along the outside of the cathedral. In 2010 an extensive restoration was completed, undoing the damage of many years of wear-and-tear andacid rain.
On the central square is the oldest remaining brick house of the Netherlands, 'de Moriaan',[17] which was built at the beginning of the 13th century. In the 1960s, de Moriaan was renovated to its former glory based on a famous 16th-century Dutch painting called 'De Lakenmarkt van 's-Hertogenbosch' ('The fabric market of 's-Hertogenbosch').[18] The town hall is an original 14th-century Gothic building. After the town was conquered by the Dutch Republic in 1629, it received a new facade in the style ofDutch Baroque architecture. It showcased the authority of the new masters, just like the new town hall in Maastricht would.
Hidden below the old city is acanal network called theBinnendieze, which once spanned 22 km (14 mi). It started out as a regular river, the Dommel, running through the city in medieval times. Due to a lack of space in the city, people started building their houses and roads over the river. Later, the Binnendieze functioned as a sewer and fell into disrepair. In recent decades, the remaining sixth part of the old waterway system has been renovated, and it is possible to take several guided subterranean boat trips through it.
's-Hertogenbosch has an extensive and almost complete fifteenth-to-seventeenth-century city fortification. It was made to profit from the city's strong defensive position, lying on a sandy hill in the center of a large swamp fed by many rivers. This also caused the main ramparts to be preserved, because they were crucial in keeping out the water. In 2004 the city was awarded the titleEuropean Fortress City of the year. In the years that followed it restored many of the city defenses to much of their old glory.
Apart from small sections of medieval walls, the main structure of the fortification is a late-medieval (fifteenth-century) wall. The upper sections were removed when cannon became more powerful, and polygonalbastions were added, some after the conquest by the republic. Most of these have not been restored to their original height, but do maintain their brick walls. Thecitadel in the north west of the city does retain its original height. Around the city itself many other fortresses can still be seen.
In the north east of the old city, the hexagonalgunpowder magazine, calledKruithuis[19] is located close to the citadel. It is one of only a handful that still exist in the Netherlands, and was built when the city was still part of theSpanish Netherlands. It is planned to become the museum of fortress 's-Hertogenbosch. One of the bastions of the fortress now houses the mini museumBastionder. It has been dug out in a bastion of the south side. On the inside it shows a unique wrought iron cannon, and an older bastion that was walled in by the current one.
On the south side of the city, the city center and walls still border the Bossche Broek, an oldpolder that could never be made dry. In 1995 the dyke of the Dommel broke and an enormous amount of water entered the polder. It also flooded and blocked the main Dutch highway A2. In order to prevent this in the future, the area was rearranged to store excess water in case of emergencies. In 2006 the area had been furnished with higher dikes and locks that allowed a controlled flooding of the polder and some adjacent areas in case of emergency.
The Bossche Broek is now a 22-hectare (54-acre)nature reserve, that stretches all the way toVught. It is connected to the Moerputten and Vlijmens Ven, with which it forms aNatura 2000 area. Rare species in the area are thescarce large blue and theEuropean weather loach. The Moerputten sports theMoerputten Bridge, a 600-metre (650 yard) long nineteenth century railway bridge and engineering feat. What is unique about the area is its close proximity to the city center.
The city has one professional football club,FC Den Bosch. It is the 1967 successor of the professional branches of BVV (Bossche Voetbal Vereniging) and Wilhelmina. Both of them still exist as amateur football clubs. As a successor of BVV FC Den Bosch can claim the national championship of 1948. This championship led to the construction of stadiumDe Vliert, which at one time had a capacity of 30,000. Due to the less successful years that followed, the capacity is now only 8,500 visitors. FC Den Bosch was the first club of Dutch international playerRuud van Nistelrooy.
's-Hertogenbosch is more successful in field hockey. It is home to top clubHC Den Bosch. The women's team in particular is a dominant force in the Dutch field hockey competition. The professional basketball clubHeroes Den Bosch is also very successful. The city's rugby club is called The Dukes and dates from 1974. It is located at a very scenic location at the foot of the city walls. Because of the limited space, the club plays onartificial turf and part of the accommodation is subterranean. The Dukes has the most junior members. It became the national rugby champion in 2008.[21]
As regards events the city is host to theRosmalen Grass Court Championships, a combinedATP Tour andWTA Tour grass court tennis event played two weeks before theWimbledon Championships. TheWorld Archery Championships andWorld Para Archery Championship were held here in June 2019. During these combined World Championships two separate venues were used: the Parade and the rugby fields of The Dukes. All finals took place in the arena at the Parade. The Parade is a historic square surrounded by high trees, situated at the foot of the nearly seven-hundred-year-old Saint John's Cathedral in the attractive center of 's-Hertogenbosch.
TheZuid-Willemsvaart runs from the Meuse just north of the city towards Maastricht via Helmond and Weert. In 's-Hertogenbosch it runs through the city proper, south east from where a bastion has been cut off from the citadel. Because of this route it was impossible to widen it further than for ships ofCEMT class II. Therefore, theMáxima Canal of 8 km (5 miles) was dug just east of the city, creating a shortcut from the canal to the Meuse suitable for ships of CEMT class IV. On the remaining part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart west of the city is the industrial harbor of 's-Hertogenbosch. A marina is located in the center.
's-Hertogenbosch is situated on the busyA2 motorway, the most important north–south connection of the Netherlands. This connection was established with the opening of theDieze Bridge in 1942. From 1961 the Utrecht-'s-Hertogenbosch section was 2 times 2 lanes. In 1970 the A2 was rerouted to the east of the city. In 1989 it finally became acontrolled-access highway. In 1996 the section between 's-Hertogenbosch andEindhoven became a controlled-access highway. The situation inMaastricht was only solved in 2016, when the Koning Willem-Alexandertunnel was opened. On the east–west axis 's-Hertogenbosch is on theA59 motorway. TheA65 motorway between 's-Hertogenbosch andTilburg is a regional highway, but is not completely access-controlled.
's-Hertogenbosch has attempted to adapt to the growing popularity of the bicycle in Dutch cities. A reasonable amount of bike paths has so far been constructed in the town. In 2011, the city was chosen asFietsstad 2011—the top bike city of the Netherlands for 2011. The details of the report were less jubilant and showed that it was really a prize meant to stimulate 's-Hertogenbosch to take further action; Hugo van der Steenhoven of the Fietsersbond: "In the past years Den Bosch has spent much energy, ambition, creativity and money to give cycling an enormous boost. This is a big achievement for a city where bicycle use is lower than in the rest of the Netherlands" (cyclist union).[22]
Insecondary education theCity Gymnasium is agymnasium (school) that originated from the Latin school of the city. It is comparable to agrammar school and can trace its origin back 1274. The same type of education and all other types of secondary education are offered by a number of large institutes.
Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in 's-Hertogenbosch, with somewhat more than 40% of the population counting themselves as belonging to it. Even so, attendance at mass is significantly lower than 40%. Three churches in the city center are still in use by the Catholic church: Saint John's Cathedral, Saint Catherine and the Monastery Church of the Franciscans nearby the railway station. Smaller churches in use by the Roman Catholic church are: Saint Anne's Church in Hintham, Saint Landoline Church in Empel, Saint Willibrord Church in Maaspoort, Saint Lambert Church (Rosmalen), etc.
The Protestant religion has seen its share of believers in the city fall from 20% to about 4%. It is based in theGreat Church. TheEastern Orthodox Church is a new church in town. It is based atSaint Catherine's Church where Catholic worship services have been held again since 2021.
The Arrahma Mosque has been built by the Moroccan community. The Turkish community has the Orhan Gazi Mosque.
Mijntje Donners (born 1974), field hockey player, with 234 caps for the Dutch National Women's Team, and team silver and bronze medallist at three Summer Olympics
Anthony Lurling (born 1977), a Dutch former footballer with 587 club caps
^"Postcodetool for 5211HH".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived fromthe original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved15 April 2014.
^"De grenzeloze regio".Sdu uitgevers. 2007.ISBN9789012124577.Het BBP van BrabantStad ligt op 14.7% van het nationale BBP. In de regio liggen Philips, de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, de Universiteit Tilburg en de HAS Den Bosch. De regio heeft 1.4 miljoen inwoners. Er is veel R&D, ICT, automotive, logistiek en agribusiness.
^Knight, Charles Raleigh:Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905,pp. 69-70
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