Zaltbommel

Zaltbommel sits on the south bank of the Waal in the Bommelerwaard and kept its rampart circuit and a compact medieval centre with about three hundred listed buildings. The Sint-Maartenskerk is the landmark and the oddity: its tower lost its thirty-metre spire to a lightning fire in 1538, a smaller successor was lost to fire as well, a new spire begun in 1708 was never finished, and a restoration early in the twentieth century gave the stump its present low cap, so a large Gothic church carries a blunt cap, which is visible from a long way across the flat land and which everyone comments on. Inside are late medieval wall paintings and vault decoration. The Maarten van Rossum museum occupies a late Gothic town house built by the mercenary captain of that name. The town has a wall walk, water gates and, from the ramparts, the river with the bridges and the old Bommelse Waal traffic on it.

History

The town was first mentioned as Bomela in 850 and received city rights in 1231, renewed in 1316. Its bridge over the Waal, since replaced, appears in Martinus Nijhoff's celebrated sonnet De moeder de vrouw (Wikipedia, Zaltbommel).

What you'll find

• A capped church tower - the spire lost to fire in 1538 and never replaced.
• Late medieval wall paintings - surviving in the church interior and vaults.
• A rampart circuit - walls, water gates and a walk round the old town.
• A mercenary's house - Van Rossum's late Gothic town house, now the museum.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Practical notes

The church keeps limited hours and closes for services. The museum closes on Mondays. The town is small - a day covers it comfortably. The A2 motorway bridge is close and audible.

Nearby

Slot Loevestein is west; Den Bosch is south.

Key facts