TILBURG - In Your Pocket

E40 WHAT TO SEE
The cemetery at Bredaseweg is renowned for its
white statues
Parks, gardens & Cemeteries
Bredaseweg Cemetery (Begraafplaats Bredaseweg)
A-3, Bredaseweg 45. The best-known cemetery in
Tilburg is Roman Catholic and dates from 1828. A number of
distinct, white cast-iron statues seem to guard the graveyard
on the side facing the street. You’ll also find a remarkable work
of illumination art, which is directed at one of the statues.
Many special tombstones can be found in the cemetery itself,
like Marietje Kessels’. She was murdered in 1900, aged 11.
Her body was found in the archway of the Sacred Heart Church
which was demolished in 1975. The murderer was never
found, but many people suspect it must have been somebody
associated with the church. QOpen 09:00 - 21:30.
Helga Deen Garden & Tilburg Synagogue (Helga
Deen Tuin en Tilburgse Synagoge) C-2, Willem II
straat 20. Helga Deen is essentially the Tilburg version of
Anne Frank. There’s a little park in the centre of town named
after this Jewish girl who kept a diary during her incarceration
in an SS-concentration camp (National Monument Camp
Vught). There are only a few bushes, some shrubbery, nine
small chairs and several Stars of David in the paving stones,
but this 16m2 park wasn’t created at random. The little
park was named after the 18-year-old Helga who later died
in the Sobibór concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Whoever comes here can have a moment of silence to contemplate
a dark chapter in Dutch history. Q J
Leijpark J-6, Ringbaan Zuid. This 30 hectare city park
designed in English landscape style was created between
1934 - 1939 as an unemployment relief project. The park
contains a small creek called De Ley, which gives the park
its name. The Leypark is a pleasant park to walk in and in
the summer this is where Festival Mundial takes place, which
draws about 60,000 visitors each year.
Muse Garden (Muzentuin) C-4, Zwijsenplein 1. Since
there’s little greenery to be found in Tilburg, sitting in this
city park is like a breath of fresh air. Although there are only
eight trees in the garden, it seems like more. The garden is
located beside a little old church, which has been integrated
among the new buildings of the dance academy. Traffic noise
is dampened by the walls of the school and other city sounds
can barely be heard here. On a sunny day you can enjoy the
grassy surroundings, which include statues as well as the
architectural tangle of the new school buildings that surround
the little church. If you’re in luck, you might even see a live
performance by students practising their newly acquired
dance moves or hear a violin or an opera singer trying to hit
the right note at a rehearsal. Q TJ
Oude Warande H-5, Warandelaan. This is the only remaining
‘star forest’ and one of the oldest baroque forests in The
Netherlands. The German prince Wilhelm Von Hessen-Kassel
had it designed in 1712. The lanes crossing the forest come
together in the centre forming a star pattern. The four different
parts each have their own pattern: square, circular, diamond
shape and octagonal. The forest covers 60 hectares and it
boasts several works of art, including one by Rien Claessen
called Inanitas, which means ‘open space’. The latest addition
is Pavilion Grotto, designed by Australian artist Callum Morton.
The Old Waranda is a relaxing place that’s ideal for running
and you’ll see many people doing just that. Q
Wilhelminapark I-5, Wilhelminapark. The Wilhelmina
Park is one of the oldest parks in Tilburg. It was designed
in 1898 in romantic fashion by Leonard Springer who also
designed the Wandelbos and Leijpark in the city. There’s a
duck pond, open pastures and winding paths between the
trees. Many students from the surrounding dorms move their
books and other vital learning materials (like bottles of beer)
to the park on sunny days. Q TJ6
Places of interest
Old Town Square D-2/3, Heuvelplein. De Heuvel is the
central square in Tilburg and the most important shopping
street, de Heuvelstraat, leads up to it. In 1419 ‘den Hoevel’
was named for the first time. Until the water tower on Bredaseweg
was built in 1898, Tilburgers could only get water
from de Heuvel as it was the only place with a water pump. A
replica of this pump can still be found on the Oude Markt. Until
1994 the square boasted an old lime tree, but despite major
protests, the dead tree was finally uprooted. Wood from the
tree has since been used to create the mayor’s gavel and in
a tableau in the city hall. The square was completely rebuilt
in 2008 and three descendants of the old lime tree were
planted in prominent places in the middle of the square. De
Heuvel also boasts a statue of King William II, who proudly
looks over the city he loved so much. Q
Tilburg Regional Archives (Regionaal Archief Tilburg)
E-3, Kazernehof 75, tel. (+31) 135 49 45 70, info@
regionaalarchieftilburg.nl, www.regionaalarchieftilburg.
nl. Do you really want to know everything about Tilburg? As
early as AD 709, the year that Tilburg was first mentioned,
documents and files were kept about its residents, districts,
streets and important events. At the Tilburg Regional Archives
you can see how Tilburg evolved over the centuries. It’s
not a museum, but of course it’s fun to have a look at the
old books yourself. With a bit of effort you’ll find the most
extraordinary facts about the town and its past. Besides,
the building itself is worth a visit because it’s housed in King
Willem II’s old stables. QOpen 09:30 - 17:00. Closed Mon,
Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun. J
Sightseeing tours
Stadsgidserij, www.stadsgidserij.nl. If you want to
discover Tilburg with a professional guide, you can sign
up for a tour from the Stadsgidserij. You can book various
walks, such as the centre walk, the centre west walk (which
includes a visit to the cemetery on the Bredaseweg), the
hasselt walk (where the Tilburg Castle once stood), the art
walk, the architecture walk and the culinary walk. Walks
in various other neighbourhoods of Tilburg that have rich
histories are also possible. Whichever route you choose
you’re guaranteed a fun, informative walk and you’ll discover
places that you would have never found by yourself. The
walks don’t take place every day so visit its website for
exact times and dates. Q
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