Closer to a surprising museum visit
North Brabant region has a wide range of museums that are all waiting for you to visit. Whether you like art and design or prefer to dive into history, the museums are generally very centrally located, so ideal to combine with a day of shopping and a delicious lunch or dinner. It is the perfect way to spend your weekend away or day out in North Brabant.
Closer to Schoenenkwartier
- Waalwijk
The Schoenenkwartier (Shoe Quarter) in Waalwijk is new in North Brabant. And it is a must for those who love shoes, design, architecture, art and culture! Here, you discover the history and future of shoes and leather. The museum, with a floor space of over 3000 m², displays hundreds of shoes (from a collection of more than 20,000 objects), materials and equipment to admire. It is easy to combine a visit to Waalwijk with Tilburg or the Loon and Drunen Dunes National Park. However, Waalwijk also has some great little spots, such as the Hooisteeg, a friendly shopping area with lovely boutiques and stunning historic buildings such as the Church of St John the Baptist and the Kropholler Town Hall.
Closer to Design Museum Den Bosch
- ‘s-Hertogenbosch
The Design Museum Den Bosch presents provocative and surprising exhibitions about design in the past, the present and the future. In two large halls and several smaller presentation rooms, you can discover the influence of design on the world. Here, you can currently see the ‘Screenwear – Exploring Digital Fashion’ exhibition. Discover the latest generation of fashion designers and come face to face with hyper-realistic digital models. The Design Museum Den Bosch and the Noordbrabants Museum form the Museumkwartier ’s-Hertogenbosch. This is two museums under one roof, and that in the heart of the centre. From the museum, you can get to the Church of St John, the Binnendieze or one of the many restaurants in the Korte Putstraat in no time.
Closer to Van Abbemuseum
- Eindhoven
The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven is one of the leading museums for contemporary art in Europe. The museum has an extensive international collection of over 3000 works of art ranging from well-known contemporary artists such as Marlene Dumas, John Körmeling and Iris Kensmil, to modern masters like Marc Chagall, Piet Mondriaan and Pablo Picasso. Indeed, you will encounter plenty of art in the city itself from the best street art to unique pieces of light art. Discover for yourself why Eindhoven the design capital of the Netherlands!
Closer to TextielMuseum
- Tilburg
The TextielMuseum in Tilburg is housed in a former textile factory in the city. It is the only place in the world where design, art, fashion, heritage and innovation in the field of textiles come together. So, it is a unique place you must visit to not only see inspiring exhibitions, but you can also take a look in the specialised TextielLab. In this Lab you look over the shoulders of international and national artists and designers. And you can even get to work with textiles yourself. Combine your visit to the museum with a walk through the Spoorzone, which includes the LocHal and numerous great food concepts.
Closer to Museum Helmond
- Helmond
Under the name Museum Helmond, you can go to two unique museum locations in the city. Discover the almost 700-year-old story of the largest moated castle in the Netherlands, Helmond Castle, and/or experience art and photography in Kunsthal Helmond. Both locations are in the heart of the centre. That makes a visit to visit to Museum Helmond ideal to combine with a stay in the Brabant’s fifth city, known for its past in the metal and textile industries.
Closer to Markiezenhof
- Bergen op Zoom
Built in the 15th century, the Markiezenhof was the residential palace of the lords and margraves of Bergen op Zoom. As the oldest City Palace of the Netherlands, the Markiezenhof is even one of the four official Top Monuments in North Brabant. Bergen op Zoom is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. The narrow streets, old squares and distinctive monuments tell the story of a rich and turbulent history, which dates back over 800 years. It is a lovely backdrop to the lovely shops, bars, lively pavement cafes, and restaurants. Currently, in the ‘Schatkamers’ of the Markiezenhof you can see the unique exhibition ‘If Clothes Could Talk’, including work by filmmaker Funda Erzade and fashion designer Rosalie Boonstra.
Closer to The Noordbrabants Museum
- ’s-Hertogenbosch
The Noordbrabants Museum is housed in an elegant 18th century government palace in the centre of Medieval 's-Hertogenbosch, making it perfect to combine with a visit to Brabant’s capital city. Here, you can see objects and artefacts related to the art, history and culture of North Brabant and the Southern Netherlands. The collection also includes surprising Dutch Design with Brabant roots and – as the only museum in the South of the Netherlands – some original pieces by Vincent van Gogh!
Closer to Retrofuture
- Eindhoven
Eindhoven’s most iconic building, designated as a national heritage site in 2018, is open to the public once again. The futuristic Evoluon is the perfect location for the RetroFuture exhibition by Next Nature; the international network that discusses how nature and technology will merge in the future. RetroFuture is the first major exhibition in the world about humankind’s eternal dreams of the future. Allow Jules Verne, Leonardo Da Vinci, Chriet Titulaer, Marshall McLuhan, Nostradamus and Alan Turing to carry you away to the future of tomorrow and discover if they were right!
Of course, there are many more museums in Brabant that are more than worth visiting. For example, the Jheronimus Bosch Art Centre in ’s-Hertogenbosch about the work of Hieronymus Bosch, the Nederlands Steendrukmuseum in Valkenswaard about lithography and stone printing, Overloon War Museum, the largest war museum in the Netherlands and many more.