För kulturälskare

If you love design, going out and shopping, then the largest city in North Brabant, Eindhoven, is the place to be. It’s a vibrant and lively city bursting with energy with a constant flow of new developments in creativity, innovation and design. Excellent shopping and impressive architecture can be found in and around Eindhoven’s large covered shopping centre. In the old city centre, you will find a futuristic building called 'The Blob', designed by the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas. The Van Abbemuseum is another must-do while visiting this city. Its distinctive architectural design, alongside its collection and exhibitions programme makes the Van Abbemuseum a unique place for modern and contemporary art. The exhibitions in De Kazerne are definitely worth a visit. Grab a bite and a drink and be inspired by the creative works of various artists. The setting will leave you speechless. For another uniquely industrial dining experience, try the Piet Hein Eek design restaurant, Radio Royaal or one of the other eateries in the former Philips factory in Eindhoven. The Strijp S, the nearby creative cultural heart of Eindhoven, is not to be missed during a visit to this City of Light. With acclaimed festivals like GLOW and Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven really is a must-visit!

Eight miles off Kerry’s magnificent Iveragh Peninsula – where Ireland’s highest mountain range sweeps down to the wild Atlantic coast – is one of the wonders of the world: Skellig Michael. 1300 years ago, early Christian monks built a remarkable hermitage at the top of this jagged ocean crag – then at the furthest limits of the |known world. . This extraordinary, far-flung place of pilgrimage – described by George Bernard Shaw as “part of our dream world” – is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These days the vibrant cultural climate and student population make the town highly inviting and fully future-proof. The quays, the water and the pier in the Piushaven are a lively stage for an array of events and activities. Every week at 013, you can enjoy live concerts, dance and club evenings and festivals late into the night. Tilburg was an important city for the Dutch textile industry. You can learn all about it at the TextielMuseum. And there is more. In the accompanying TextielLab, national and international designers, architects, artists and students discover endless possibilities in relation to yarns, the latest techniques and traditional crafts. And do not forget to visit De Pont Museum. The museum is located in a former wool mill and offers contemporary visual art from 1988. The collection includes more than 600 works of art from more than 60 national and internationally renowned artists.

Brabant is Vincent van Gogh’s homeland (1853 - 1890). Van Gogh’s masterpieces are scattered throughout the world, but their roots are in Brabant. Here is where Van Gogh produced his first masterpiece ‘The Potato Eaters’. To this day, Vincent’s footsteps can be traced in places like Zundert, Nuenen, Tilburg, Etten-Leur and ’s-Hertogenbosch. You can see the house where he was born, his young brother’s grave, his art class at school, the parsonage and several churches where his father worked. Nuenen is a historical village that offers a walking tour along 23 locations related to his work. The Noordbrabants Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch houses original works by Van Gogh in ‘The Story of Brabant’.