Breda: A Historic Dutch City With A Royal Pedigree

Breda has made its mark on world history, not only because it’s located on the river Mark, but because the city, known as the Nassau Stad, was the official residence of the Orange-Nassau family for several centuries. The current Dutch king, Willem-Alexander is a descendant of the House of Orange-Nassau. The Nassau branch of the family can be traced back to the 11^th century in Western Germany. 

Since its humble beginnings, Breda has been at the center of major world events that involved the Holy Roman Empire, feuds with neighboring dynasties, inter marriages of the nobility to consolidate real estate, the establishment of the Dutch Republic, wars between the Netherlands and England, Spanish and French occupations, and of course the German occupation in WWII.

Breda  is a lively city for going out and having a good time. Surrounded by a moat, the city’s  center is very walkable and saturated with more than 300 restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs and entertainment venues. It is also a shopper’s paradise with hundreds of stores waiting for you to buy stuff.  For relaxing after a day of shopping and eating, the city has the most green spaces for chilling-out and wandering. The city is officially recognized as having the best city center in the country.

Having been granted “city rights” in 1252, Breda was allowed to build its own city wall to keep out illegals and greedy slumlords. It has been a fortified city throughout the centuries ever since. Many of its medieval remnants can be seen today within the heart of the city. One of those heady locations is Kasteelplein (Castle Square). Following many nasty onslaughts on the Castle of Breda by enemies of its inhabitants, the losers were beheaded on the square in view of the celebratory bystanders, or the winners, eating picnic lunches.  

Starting at the newly renovated central train and bus station, it’s a short walk to Park Valkenberg where you can stroll through a large beautiful park replete with a stately fountain, a restaurant on a knoll and several ponds for pondering. In the 15^th century, the preferred sport of the aristocracy was falconry, a big ferocious bird – a falcon – trained to hunt and kill peaceful song birds. These falconers stood on mounds or hilltops to show off their importance. Since many falcons were housed at this location, the landlords, over time, adopted the House of Valkenberg as their family name and pedigree. So, that’s how Valkenberg Park got its name.

At the Catharinastraat exit of the park there is the Begijnhof where, starting in the 12^th century, a small community of pious Catholic women established a sanctuary.  Their lives were devoted to God and to herb gardens, not necessarily in that order. Breda’s Begijnhof  is one of the oldest in the Netherlands. The original little wooden houses with clay insulation and straw roofs were gradually replaced by brick houses in the 16^th century that can still be seen today. Later, amenities were added such as a free laundromat and Japanese toilets. Although several elderly women still live there today, it can be viewed by visitors. At Catharinastraat 29 there is the Begijnhof Museum where the women’s simple and sober lifestyles over the centuries are on display.

Originally a fortress, Breda Castle was renovated in 1353 to look more like a castle with fortifications, four towers and a moat.  A castle can’t be called a true castle without a moat. A moat is essential. Since the 14^th century, the castle has been the home of Breda’s many nobles, including William of Orange (a.k.a. William the Silent).  William is considered the George Washington of the Netherlands because he led the Dutch Revolt to liberate the Netherlands from the Spanish occupiers.  Even though he was born in Germany and spoke mostly French, which is why he was silent around Dutch speakers, he is still considered a hero and the father of his country. When William was assassinated in 1580, he should have been buried in his ancestral hometown of Breda, but the Spanish occupied it at the time. He was buried in Delft instead.  

If it wasn’t for the Treaty of Breda, New York’s Times Square would have been called “Tijden Plein.”  This year, 2017, marks the 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Breda. This Treaty was signed in Breda on July 31,1667.  It ended the Second Anglo-Dutch war (1665–1667) during which England and the Netherlands fought over maritime domination and world trade. The Treaty of Breda gave the British the town of  New Amsterdam, which they changed to New York.

The nobility lost interest in staying at the Castle and stopped living and vacationing there. The South of France looked better and it was warmer.  So, since 1828 Breda Castle has been used as a military outpost and academy, except during WWII when the Germans occupied the fortress for nefarious purposes. The castle is open to the public once a year on Brabantse Kasteeldag (Open Castle Day) in the spring.  

The Spanish Gate is an imposing water gateway to Breda Castle. It was built in 1610 to commemorate the liberation of Breda in 1590 from the Spanish when a small band of Dutch soldiers entered the heavily protected garrison by hiding under a cargo of peat. Peat is composed of partially decayed vegetable matter that is cut and dried for use as fuel. The Trojan horse style operation was a smelly success. It’s debated whether the enemy died from battle or from the smell of the marauders. In any case, they opened the gates of the castle grounds and the liberating army won the day.

Every year the Spanish Gate is the backdrop of the main stage for Breda’s annual Jazz Festival, the oldest and largest festival of its kind in Europe, attracting as many as 250,000 visitors. There are about 175 gigs performed on large and small stages throughout the city on streets, squares, café patios, backyards, and terraces. All the outdoor concerts are free.

Breda’s harbor is lined with numerous restaurants and outdoor terraces overlooking the waterfront with a quay on each side to moor boats.  Various water craft can be rented and boat tours around the city are also available there. During celebrations of one kind or another the harbor is filled to capacity with boats of all kinds, including rubber rafts.