Netherlands Region of Focus is…..NORTH BRABANT

In an attempt to explore more of the Netherlands I have dug out all my good Netherlands travel books and will be dragging RC to various locations throughout the year. So that you can also learn about the places we will be visiting and so that I can plan our trips better I have created the Netherlands Region of Focus.

January will be focusing on North Brabant which is a pretty big region so may spread into February as well. And just to make things even better I have already achieved my first North Brabant visit by going to the Efteling with RC and SF a few days ago (see the main post). Here is some things I have learned about North Brabant so far:

History and General Information

North Brabant is the second largest province in the Netherlands and has been around since at least the 7th century BC. Julius Caesar remembers North Brabant well since he conqured it from the Celts during his reign. North Brabant lies in the South of the Netherlands and flourished until the 16th century when the 80 years war left the south part of it under Spanish rule and the North part under the Netherlands. Now it is home to industry and commerace (Philips is located there) and also to tourists who visit for its beauty.

Cities of Interest/Importance

1. s-Hertogenbosch aka Den Bosch – DONE
2. Breda
3. Oudenbosch
4. Eindhoven
5. Nuenen

Places to Visit

1. De Efteling - DONE
2. Sint Jan – DONE
3. Binnen-Dieze – DONE
4. Kasteel Heeze
5. Van Gogh Documentatiecentrum
6. Basiliek