KORENBEURSPLEIN

On the edge of the former mediaeval town, partly on grounds of the successive fortificafions, there were several places without a specific function. A few of them survived, be it in a different outline and with a new use, including Mineurplein and two little squares on both sides of Weverskat (all parking lots now). At the junction of Van der Rijtstraat and Williamstraat we find Korenbeursplein, also many years a car park.
Korenbeurs means grain exchange. Before, it was a place where waggons and carts were parked. Further back in time this was the location of respectively an Alexian convent, an orphanage and an army depot. In 2014 Korenbeursplein was restyled. Nowadays it's part of the weekly market.




Korenbeursplein in 2009. Photo: Thom van Amsterdam (commissioned by daily BN/De Stem).




Compared to the nearby Market Square, Korenbeursplein looks like a village brink. The most striking structure is this slightly decrepit building. Older inhabitants will remember café De Dikke Boom (literally: the thick tree) was located here.




The tree before...




...and after.




The work 'Zaden' or 'Seeds' by artist Karin Colen consist of seven solid stones. Name, shape and colour refer of course to the above-mentioned grain exchange.




The symbols of fertility are also meant to provide sitting space. The work was established in 2014.




One of the objectives of the local authorities for the square is a concentration of mediterranean restaurants and shops to bring some life to the place, which has never really been an animated spot. So far a Turkish bakery and a Moroccan butcher/grocery located themselves here.




This modest building on the corner of Korenbeursstraat comprises a house and a studio to attract artists. It was recently renovated by Stichting Stadsherstel, a foundation active in the field of urban renewal, especially in the historic centre, since 1971.




The situation in 1581, before the square was realized. This is a fragment of a map published by G. Braun and F. Hogenberg which was based upon an older map by Jacob van Deventer.




A detail of a map by Joan Blaeu, which was published in Amsterdam in 1649.




A detail of the famous scale-model made by the French in 1748, after their conquest of the town a year before. Historians believe this model and three others of the fortresses in the vincinity (De Roovere, Pinssen and Moermont) were produced by the Nézot studio's in Paris.




According to the map designed by R. van Someren in 1890, Korenbeurs Square (in the middle, between Kettingstraat and Williamstraat) already looked like how we know it today.

PAKHUISSTRAAT

It goes without saying that the image of a place, justly or not, to a large extent is indicated by just one or a few buildings, think of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum in Rome and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai or, closer to home, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam and St. John's Cathedral in Den Bosch. In Bergen op Zoom one really can't get round the mediaval complex with its mighty crow-stepped gables and tower of Markiezenhof (the court of the Marquis).
Yet, the nature of a town or city, let's say its soul, often hides in what doesn't leap to the eye, on the contrary. Think of fine wrinkles in a face which attracts attention because of a big nose or a beard. These inconspicuous features, the wrinkles of a town, don't flaunt on restored squares or in glittering shopping centres. No, one discovers them in back streets, little visited neighborhoods, in a cul-de-sac; in backwaters which didn't share the developments of a place or, in case they did, are considered too ugly or boring to fit the desired image.
Bergen op Zoom still has many of those places which have not been commercialized. One example is the dead end alley Pakhuisstraat in the former harbor district. 'Pakhuis' means warehouse or repository. This function is still visible as the picture below shows.
Other objects are left to guesswork. Well, any incentive of the phantasy makes sure a place is not dead even if all activities seam to have vanished.

BINNENBANDIJK

Binnenbandijk consists of three elements. 'Binnen' is related to 'inside', 'inner' and 'within'; 'ban' has to do with 'to ban' and 'to abandon'; 'dijk' is 'dike', 'dyke' or 'levee' although in Flemish Dutch it can also mean 'promenade'.
A 'binnenbandijk' is mostly a dyke along (the forelands/foreshores of) a river, in this case the estuarium of the Oosterscheldt.



The location where these pictures were taken is indicated by the red dot on the old map above. On this spot we find a sculpture by Auke van der Heide and Jan Wessendorp, artists who regularly work together in the public domain.




Both artists were invited by District Water Board 'Brabantse Delta' to create a work of art at the occasion of the completion of a project that was aimed to double the capacity of the waste water main between Bergen op Zoom and neighbouring town Roosendaal. Their theme: "The present realizes the impulses of the past. The future realizes the impulses of this moment."




The sculpture was unveiled in 2009. It's name, The past's bucket is today's conduit , refers to safety and hygiene. The bucket also represents the personal responsibility.
Especially when the sun is shining the reflections of the metal buckets provide a fascinating spectacle of light. The clattering of the handles, moved by the wind, which is almost always active in this area, makes sure no passer-by will miss this cultural beacon.




The dates on the buckets are a reminder of the years which were important in the eternal struggle against the water. As the old map above shows, many villages in this area disappeared during floods and storms, such as Agger, Brouck, Creek, Everswardt and Inkeloirt as well as the town of Reimerswaal. Where once were fertile fields, important for the economy of Bergen op Zoom, is now the stretch of water called Oosterscheldt.
Water has however also been an ally many times, of which the successive harbours of Bergen op Zoom are the main witnesses.



All photos: © Albert Hagenaars



www.alberthagenaars.nl
For more information: see Kidor (text only in Dutch).

ARNOLDUS ASSELBERGSSTRAAT

This street belongs to the green part of the ring around the medieaval town. It is named after one of the first industrial entrepreneurs. Arnoldus Asselbergs (1811-1880) started a forge in 1841, together with his partner Janus van der Hoeven. Little by little this modest facility became an iron foundry, which employed many workers.

The street has two 'arms'. In between is a little public garden called Bevrijdingsplantsoen (Liberation Green). A statue by Nicolaas van der Kreek (1896-1967) reminds the passer-by of the Liberation of Bergen op Zoom by Canadian forces on October 27th 1944. It was established in 1955.




Nicolaas van der Kreek was born in Bergen op Zoom and died in Bussum. He was active in more artistic fields but made a name as a sculptor. As such he was a member of several societies a.o. 'Arti et Amicitiae' and 'De Onafhankelijken' (The Independant Ones) in Amsterdam. In 1923 he was awarded a silver medal in the Prix de Rome-contest.



The monument, dedicated to all the people who died in the war, was unveiled by Piet van Gils. He was the son of a resistance fighter who didn't live to enjoy the liberation.















A ceramic statuette above the door of number 37.



The decoration of number 6. The house is called 't Hoekje ('The little corner'), since it is situated on the spot where Arnoldus Asselbergsstraat and Williamstraat meet.


www.alberthagenaars.nl

KIJK IN DE POT

An area where human activities took place as far back in time as the Iron Age and the Roman Era, Kijk in de Pot is now a park of 20 ha, located between the historic centre and Lake Binnenschelde (Inner Scheldt).
The name (meaning 'A view into the pot' or 'Looking into the pot') originates from an early 17th century redoubt (redoute in French), which offered a splendid view on the area. Many modifications in the defense system followed.

The municipality of Bergen op Zoom managed to buy the grounds in 1979 and decided to transform them into a park, designed by Pieter Germeraad, some twenty years later.
Several artists participated in the decoration of the park, which remained an open space after a part in the northwest became a residential area with names reflecting the former military functions in this part of town such as Escarp, Saillant, Coupure, Poterne and, of course, Redoute.




A modern interpretation of the former fortifications by artists Auke van der Heide and Jan Wessendorp. All photos: © Albert Hagenaars, December 2014.



A view on the Slikschans (Mud flat sconce) or Veldschans (Field sconce), also a design by Auke van der Heide and Jan Wessendorp, based upon a similarly shaped fortress on this spot. They commissioned poetry for the walls from author Albert Hagenaars, who shared the assignment with his colleague Bert Bevers. They realized two poems together, meaning they came up with mixed texts. Each word by one was followed by a word by the other.



The main text reads:

Jij die hier verdwijnt
doorzie dit niemandsland vol iedereen

Translated:

You who vanish here
see through this no man's land full with everybody.

These lines reflect centuries of military action, many victims. So, one could also read: every body in the sense of corpse.




A detail from the second poem:

door tij & tijd bestendigt
deze verschansing woorden
die zich niet laten kennen:
strijd roert ons tot wie we zijn
in de dunte der dagen.

became:

through tide & time
this entrenchment perpetuates words
that refuse to speak:
struggle moves us until we are who we are
in the thinness of the days.




A sculpture with three crabs (1980) by Kees Keijzer (1927, Heerle - 1990, Wouw) who studied at the academy of arts St Joost in Breda. This monument was originally placed in front of the civic centre at the corner of Sint Annastraat and Kortemeestraat, which was replaced by an apartment building including shops.
Keijzer specialized in working with iron. His sculptures can be seen in several towns, in Bergen op Zoom alone four.



The crab is one of the strongest symbols of Bergen op Zoom. It can be seen everywhere, especially during carnival. Most people believe it has to do with the estuarium of the nearby Oosterschelde. There is however a solid theory which links the word 'krab' to the beet madder, meekrap in Dutch. The roots of this plant provided dye for the textile industry. Thanks to the cloth manufacturers Bergen op Zoom experienced periods of wealth, mainly in the Middle Ages.



Within the boundaries of the Slikschans the artist's group Bozaar, founded by Frits Sonnenberg and others in June 2001, realized a concrete strip with so-called time capsules. Individuals as well as companies can fill a steel cylinder with messages, objects, documents pictures and so on in order to be opened in the future. Each cylinder is linked to a notarial act.



The first capsule, filled with contributions of the group was sponsored by Jos Krijger Painting Business. The text on the cover is by Jos Steegstra (1940 Groningen - 2002 Tholen), a teacher and a poet. His main themes were archeology and history.



The question on the cover, chosen by Mrs. Hendriks - Van Gogh, can be translated in various ways, for example: Where did time go to? And: It is such a long time ago...



The text says " Each effort provides something". It's a reference to the Bible (Proverbs).



In both Polish and Dutch this quote states: "It's all about touching'.



The company Royal Nedalco was present in the old harbour district in the period 1899 - 2005. It shifted its activities to Sas van Gent. Some buildings were left as industrial monuments for a new neighbourhood.


www.alberthagenaars.nl