SINT-ANTONIUSSTRAAT

Many towns and cities boast the narrowest house/gable in the country or even the world. Famous examples are: Singel 7 – Amsterdam; Voorstraat 265 – Dordrecht (but without a door); 39 Rue du Château d’Eau – Paris; Lange Voorhout 32A – The Hague; 75 Bedford Street – New York (poet Edna St. Vincent Millay lived here); Huikstraat 47 - Antwerp; Keret House, between 22 Chłodna Street and 74 Żelazna Street in Warsaw (called after author Etgar Keret, the first tenant); a house on Plaza Lope de Vega in Valencia; and Kirchstraße 29 in Bregenz (not wider than the door, 57 cm).
Sint-Antoniusstraat 8 has, with 230 cm, definitely the smallest gable in Bergen op Zoom. Hardly anyone will know about this. So far...


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HOFSTRAAT

This painting of the narrow Hofstraat, signed R. Cameron, was purchased from antiquarian bookshop Ex Libris (Kloosterstraat 38 BoZ.)
Most likely the little canvass, it only measures 18 x 30 cm, was produced by Rein Cameron.
Although the street is situated near the Markiezenhof, the most important historic monument in town, its intimate character has hardly changed for centuries.
No great work of art, just a nice picture.

An old view from Hofstraat onto the east square of the former court of the local margraves, which roughly dates from 1480-1520 and was restored in the sixties and seventies. The complex now houses several functions (such as a museum, a library and a restaurant).


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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hagenaars

MOERSTRAATSEBAAN

This is the very first monument related to World War II in The Netherlands. It was established on the corner of Moerstraatsebaan and Luienhoekweg between Bergen op Zoom and the village of Moerstraten. It is a tribute to fallen Canadian troops. The monument, called Bevrijdingsmonument or Liberation Monument, was designed by Umberto Dion and dates from 26 August 1945.
Photos: © Albert Hagenaars, 30 September 2012.

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MARY - The holy virgin

57 locations, in alphabetical order
Unless otherwise noted, all photos: © Albert Hagenaars.


Although Bergen op Zoom has not always been a predominantly Roman-Catholic town, one can still see many statuettes, figurines, plaques and plaquettes representing Mary, a strong symbol of the Roman-Catholic version of Christianity, some of them having survived sieges and iconoclastic furies. This page will bring together as many of the remaining images as possible. Some have historic value, a few are also artistically interesting and most of them are the result of serial production, as especially can be seen on houses of the Twenties and Thirties of the 20th century. All were given their place however with the firm belief that Mary would protect the residents, keep them from evil, or could provide prosperity.
Bergen op Zoom is also home to one of the few processions in The Netherlands dedicated to Mary, a result of a promise, done during World War II. If the town remained unharmed, its citizens would organize a yearly parade in honor of her. Although two 'Vergeltungswaffen' came down in the centre, killing dozens of people and causing of lot of material damage, this promise was kept, up to this day.