You can’t explore Den Bosch without discovering Bosch

Aliens devouring humans, orgies in bubbles, flying fish, flames engulfing towns, creatures crawling from the primordial ooze: it’s easy to dismiss Hieronymus Bosch’s intricate paintings as simply “weird,” but when you visit the Dutch town of Den Bosch, you can’t avoid him.

Although I’d known about Bosch, I’d never heard of Den Bosch, a small city an hour southeast of Amsterdam, before we arranged a 3.5-week pet-sitting assignment there. With just two easy-going, independent cats to look after, we had plenty of time to explore.

Everywhere we went, we tripped over Bosch, who lived his entire life there from birth, in about 1450, to his death from pleurisy in 1516. The first thing I learned was that the artist had renamed himself after his hometown, taking the surname Bosch.

The second thing I learned was that Den Bosch is a nickname for ‘s-Hertogenbosch. (Really – who starts a name with an apostrophe?!) We quickly learned to keep all the names straight. Here’s a primer:

• ‘s-Hertogenbosch: the official city name. In English it means “the duke’s forest.”
• Den Bosch: nickname for the city. In English, it’s “the forest.”
• Jheronimus Bosch: how he signed his artwork. Well, some of it. Not all has a signature.
• Jeroen van Aken: his birth name. “Jerome” in English.
• Hieronimus: a Latinization of Jeroen, later spelled Jheronimus.

To explore Den Bosch is to learn about this medieval painter and his terrifying, fascinating and nightmarish images; nearly every tourist attraction had some reference to him. Here are our highlights from this delightful city.

House of Bosch

We began our Bosch, as well as our Den Bosch, adventure at the house where he grew up. Right on the central Market Square, the tall, narrow, typically Dutch house is open for tours. As you move from room to room over creaking floorboards, you watch well-done videos that explain Bosch’s life, artwork, and domestic arrangements.

Bosch was surrounded by painters: his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, brother and uncles were all artists as well, and members of the Brotherhood of Our Illustrious Lady (kind of like today’s Rotary or Lion’s clubs), which helped bring in commissions.

Bosch’s father moved the family to this house in 1462. When Bosch married, he moved to a home his wife, Aleid, had inherited, also on the square. Aleid was higher up the social scale, so he made connections that resulted in even more commissions for his artwork. His work was popular – King Philip II of Spain acquired Bosch paintings, including the “Garden of Earthly Delights,” that eventually wound up in the Prado Museum (where we saw it in Madrid). Although Bosch was well-known in his time, he didn’t make a lot of money.

Jheronimus Bosch Art Center

Surprisingly, none of Bosch’s original paintings are actually in Den Bosch. But that hasn’t stopped Den Boschians from creating a wonderful place to learn about his work. Housed in a stunning former church, the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center displays excellent copies of his complete works: triptychs, paintings, and drawings.

We stood in front of the centrally placed “Garden of Earthly Delights” (see top photo), slowly inspecting the dozens of bizarre and detailed figures. Like many of his triptychs, he painted heaven on the left, hell on the right, and, in the centre, the various activities that would send you left or right.

“There’s the giraffe we saw in the park,” I said. “Look at this guy being roasted on a spit.” “Ooo that’s gotta hurt. Does the human body bend that way?” You could spend hours combing the details and trying to figure out the meaning – the references to morality, the church, sexuality, and even humour. It’s perfect for playing “I Spy” or “Where’s Waldo?”   

Most of Bosch’s themes were taken straight from the Bible. In a time when most people were illiterate, his paintings taught lessons about vulnerability to evil temptations. Do you want the pleasure-seeking world that leads to chaos, depravity, nightmares and hell? Or the peace and idyllic innocence in the Garden of Eden and heaven? His strong moral messages made him a popular artist during his time. In “Last Judgement,” for example, people who have succumbed to gluttony are being roasted on a skewer, and sauced and baked in a pan.

Bosch painted many traditional religious scenes, such as Jesus carrying his cross, as well as his seemingly bizarre depictions of heaven, hell and who would go where in the hereafter.

Here’s the thing about Bosch: he experienced a lot of what you see in his paintings. Well, maybe not the flying fish, but certainly the fiery flames of hell. When he was 13 years old, most of the town burned in a catastrophic fire. You can clearly see the scarring effect that must have had on a young teen. Black building silhouettes are engulfed in fiery red and orange flames in many of his paintings.

Back then, the water wasn’t always good, and healthcare was primitive. Through his father-in-law, he connected with the man who supported the local mental hospital, so it’s possible Bosch visited and painted what he’d seen. He also painted the ordinary people he saw every day: people with rotten teeth, missing limbs, and deformed bodies.

He also took aim at the Catholic church, monks and nuns who focused on material gain. In “The Haywain,” a loaded hay wagon is stormed by an angry mob of greedy men, while in a lower corner of the painting, nuns fill bags of hay and a fat monk sits in a chair drinking.

We left the art center with a much better understanding and appreciation for Bosch’s paintings.

Market Square

Bosch saw most of the same places on the Market Square that we saw, except for the statue of him.

When Bosch walked through the Market Square, he would have seen many of the same buildings we saw 500 years later:

• The renovated well is still covered by a peaked roof and shutters with shields on them.
• The tiny Lady Chapel – a shrine to the Virgin Mary – is still up high on a pole.
• The home where he grew up and the home where he lived with his wife are still there.
• The bells in the old City Hall tower still ring out the hours.
• A reddish brick building with a turret, the De Moriaan, is said to be the oldest brick building in the Netherlands. Built in the early 1200s, it now houses the tourist office.

On market days, booths still sell bolts of cloth, and local fruits and vegetables. Major differences: there’s now a statue of Bosch, complete with a live pigeon atop his head, and booths also sell bicycle parts. The city walls that used to surround the Market Square are gone, but the expanded city walls along the outer canals are still there.

St. John’s Cathedral

St. John’s Cathedral’s beautiful interior held Bosch connections but it was more fun to climb up to the rooftop.

The enormous gothic St. John’s Cathedral looms over central Den Bosch. Construction began in 1220 and was finally finished in 1530 – 14 years after Bosch died. As we toured the church, we found many Bosch connections.

We saw the statue of the Virgin Mary that’s carried every year, still, in a procession in May. As a member of the Brotherhood of Our Illustrious Lady, which cared for the poor and venerated Mary, Bosch would have taken part. He also would have been present when the brotherhood’s chapel was consecrated in the church in 1494. A memorial stone before a doorway notes that Bosch’s funeral took place there on Aug. 9, 1516. 

Bosch helped with the church’s décor, designing stained glass windows, engravings, a crucifix, and a chandelier. It’s possible he painted some scenes on an altarpiece and contributed some paintings, such as the Adoration of the Magi and some Old Testament scenes. However, his paintings for the church have been lost, likely destroyed during the 1566 Iconoclastic Fury. Calvinist Protestants called the power of the Catholic church into question and went on a rampage, destroying the artwork in many churches and monasteries.

As imposing and admirable as the inside is, the more memorable thing to do is climb up to the cathedral roof for the stunning views. While the outside is being restored, scaffolding is set up, and visitors can book a time to climb up 45 metres. We got birds-eye views of the clock tower, the countryside around Den Bosch, gargoyle drainpipes, creatures riding the flying buttresses (surely, Bosch would have loved those) and, the pièce de resistance, the cell-phone angel. Yes, there’s a modern angel statue of a woman wearing pants, a bag slung across her chest and holding a cell phone up to her ear. Apparently, it’s not a smartphone, since she was placed there before smartphones came on the market. Would Bosch have approved?   

Binnendieze sewer tour

The Binnendieze boat tour takes you through medieval and newer tunnels. Along the way, you’ll see many sculptures based on Bosch’s imaginative creatures.

One of the most popular Den Bosch tourist activities is the sewer tour. Yes, a boat tour through the tunnels and canal network – called the Binnendieze – that functioned as an open sewer in the medieval times when Bosch lived. The boat takes you under bridges, houses, churches and the old City Hall, to see places you couldn’t see otherwise.

Along the way, we spotted sculptures of creatures that seemingly popped out of Bosch’s paintings. They were placed there and in parks around the city in 2016, as part of the 500^th-anniversary celebrations marking Bosch’s death.

Noordbrabants Museum

Den Bosch is in the province of Noordbrabant – North Brabant – and this museum showcases the local history (from Roman times until now), culture and artists. Vincent Van Gogh takes a starring role, since he was born, raised and began his painting career in Noordbrabant. The museum has 12 of his original paintings.

Although the museum doesn’t have any Bosch originals, it does display some copies. In “The Temptation of St. Anthony,” the saint resists the lure of women and costly objects, while monsters, devils and burning hellfire in the background drive home the point to viewers. Bosch painted many scenes of poor St. Anthony, always being tempted or surrounded by demons. 

I discovered several other Dutch painters I hadn’t known much about before, such as Jan Sluijters. His work shows some Van Gogh influences. In the contemporary gallery, I laughed aloud at “Memories of a Forgetful Person” that shows an art gallery but all the paintings on the wall are blank.

National Carnival Museum

The traditional Oeteldonk costume is a blue farmer’s smock, covered with badges from each year, plus a red-yellow-and-white scarf. However, many people also dress in more flamboyant costumes ala Rio de Janeiro, and the party looked to be a riot of colour and noise. Bosch did not approve.

I wasn’t expecting any Bosch connections when we visited the National Carnival Museum. Even the museum itself was a surprise since I hadn’t known the pre-Lent festival was celebrated in the Netherlands. However, Noordbrabant, the southern province where Den Bosch is, has always been more strongly Catholic (it was ruled by Spain for a long time) than the Protestant north.

In the Netherlands, every town that celebrates Carnival takes on a new name for the festival – representing the topsy-turvy, upside-down nature of the party.

“We are Oeteldonk, which means ‘dry place in the swamp’,” explained the older gentleman at the entry desk.  

We took in the costumes, the papier mâché masks and figures that decorate parade floats, banners, artwork, musical instruments, sheet music written for the festival, yearly medallions and cloth badges sewn onto costumes. Finally, we saw it. A photo of the “Ship of Fools” painting by Bosch that offered a commentary on Carnival excesses. The sins of gluttony and lust are on display, even by the monks and nuns; the entire boatload is doomed.  

Walking around town

Den Bosch abounds with sculptures and murals of Bosch’s creatures.

In 2016, Den Bosch commemorated the 500^th anniversary of the artist’s death, in part by painting murals on walls and placing sculptures of his creatures in the canals and parks. Like the medieval cores of other Dutch towns, Den Bosch has small alleyways and hidden courtyards everywhere, interlaced with canals and charming arched bridges over them. The fun of getting lost amongst the back streets is highlighted by stumbling across Bosch artwork in odd spots.

After spending three weeks surrounded by Bosch, do I like his paintings now? Well, “like” is a strong word. I appreciate them more and find them an interesting reflection of his time, when everyone worried about hellfire and damnation. But I would never hang one on my wall. For sheer beauty, give me Van Gogh any day.

We visited Den Bosch in the Netherlands in August 2023. Find out where we are right now by visiting our ‘Where’s Kathryn?’ page.