Bergen op Zoom

The Markiezenhof is the palace of the marquises of Bergen op Zoom, built between about 1485 and 1520 in the Brabant late Gothic manner around courtyards, and it is one of the best-preserved urban palaces of its period north of the Alps - brick and stone, with stepped gables, a gallery and a great hall, now the town museum with rooms on the marquisate, the fairground collection and local history. The town's reputation was military: fortified by Menno van Coehoorn, it resisted siege repeatedly and acquired the nickname the Virgin because it had never been taken - until the French took it in 1747 after a long siege, which ended the claim and is still discussed locally. The Gevangenpoort survives from the medieval wall. The town holds one of the largest carnivals in the country, with its own dialect name, Krabbegat, used during it.

History

The name comes from the Brabantse Wal, low hills where sandy soil meets marine clay: bergen means hills and zoom their edge. The town probably gained city status in 1212, became a separate lordship in 1287 and a margraviate in 1559, and families including the House of Glymes held it until 1795 (Wikipedia, Bergen op Zoom).

Highlights

• The Markiezenhof - a late Gothic urban palace of about 1485-1520 around courtyards.
• Coehoorn's fortification - the works that made the town hard to take.
• The end of the Virgin - the French capture in 1747 after two centuries of resistance.
• A large carnival - the town renaming itself Krabbegat for the season.

When to go

April to October; February for carnival. A day.

Before you go

The Markiezenhof closes on Mondays. Much of the fortification was demolished in the nineteenth century - fragments only. Carnival fills the town entirely and normal visiting stops.

Nearby

Willemstad is north; the Belgian border and Antwerp are south.

Key facts