Nuenen
The municipality of Nuenen c.a. is situated in rural countryside
between the cities of Eindhoven and Helmond. The municipality
comprises three parishes: Nuenen, Gerwen and Nederwetten and a
number of hamlets, of which Eeneind is the largest.
Nuenen is located in surroundings with beautiful woodland and
meadows. Vincent van Gogh was inspired by this when he lived and
worked in Nuenen from 1883 to 1885. It was here that he produced
his world famous painting 'The Potato Eaters'.
Nuenen can justifiably describe itself as an outdoor museum.
There are 21 sites dating from the time of Vincent van Gogh which
still remain. You can see the buildings and landscapes exactly as
they were when they inspired Vincent van Gogh around 125 years
ago.
Nuenen also has several recreational possibilities. There is the
Dierenrijk Animal Kingdom, the Strandbad Nuenen lido, plenty of
catering facilities on the Park and in the delightful surroundings
of Nederwetten and Gerwen. for more information: Tourist
attractions.
Discover the centuries old history
The names Nuenen and Gerwen have Frankish origins and date back
to the so-called 'heim' names. Nuenen - Nuenheim, new town; Gerwen
- Gerwin's heim, the residence of an old Germanic chieftain. Both
villages date back to between the fifth and eighth centuries, with
Gerwen being the older of the two. The axes and urns which were
discovered in 1863 and 1915 show that the Germanic descendants had
settled on the land which now forms the parish. New excavations
were undertaken during the construction of the Langakker-Tomakker
development in Nuenen East. Utensils from the 'urn-field' period
(8th century) were unearthed. We can deduce from this
that these were Nuenen's first inhabitants.
The municipality of Nuenen dates back to the year 1300. On Saint
Barbara's Day in 1300 Duke Jan of Brabant issued a declaration in
which land provided by him was handed over for common use to the
residents of Nuenen-Gerwen. The village of Nederwetten originated
in the twelfth century as a settlement of the Hooidonk Priory. This
was founded in 1146. There are several remains near the Hooidonk
watermill. In 1810 Nederwetten, under the rule of the Franks was
combined with the former estate of Eckart to become one single
parish. The parish of Nederwetten-Eckart existed until 1 January
1821. Eckart was then combined with the parish of Woensel, while
Nederwetten formed part of the newly established municipality of
Nuenen, Gerwen and Nederwetten.
