There is no need to rush with 's-Hertogenbosch, a city that anyone who does not speak Dutch will not know how to pronounce. Nor how to address that initial apostrophe with an “s” followed by a hyphen. The natives of the country call it Den Bosch, to simplify. And in Spanish, the traditional place name has been Bolduque, which dates back to colonial times. Pronunciation difficulties aside, the name of the place already gives the clue: we are facing the city where one of the greatest geniuses of painting was born and lived: Hieronymus Hieronymus.
It is true that to admire the most famous of Hyeronimus Bosch's works in person, you do not have to go to the Netherlands but to Madrid, since it is the Prado Museum that exhibits The Garden of Earthly Delights. But, for everything else, it is worth moving to this quiet, but at the same time restless city that is the capital of North Brabant. Within its walls there are several tributes to his most illustrious son.
Located south of the Meuse River, Bolduque is a city still partly fortified and, like many others in Holland, crisscrossed by canals in its medieval layout. One of the special features of the village is that some of these waterways pass beneath the foundations of classical houses. There are tourist boats that take the tour, especially along the Binnendieze, a bit gloomy but very original.
Precisely, honoring his peculiar way of seeing the world, in one of the canals there is a sculpture dedicated to Bosch in which he can be seen emerging somewhat in a hurry from a cylinder submerged in the waters. In Markt Square itself – the epicenter of this small city of 160,000 inhabitants – there is a statue dedicated to the artist with a brush and palette at the ready, as well as in some other places in the historic center. His funeral was held in the beautiful cathedral of San Juan in 1516, but it is unknown where the tomb is.
The two museum spaces in Bolduque that present Bosch's work in depth are the house itself that became his workshop over the years (Hieronymus Museum); and the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center, which is located in a deconsecrated church and is completely dedicated to exhibiting and analyzing his career.
Although Hieronymus Hieronymus and his work appear everywhere in Bolduque (in all kinds of souvenirs and events), it is not just the painter who lives in the city, which is considered by the Dutch themselves to be the most welcoming in the country. The agenda of cultural events is packed all year round, from the very famous carnival – which has its own museum and which for a week forces the city to change its name, which is “officially” renamed Oeteldonk – to the jazz festivals. and opera in the month of June, the gastronomic meeting in September or the biannual maritime vessel exhibition.
Furthermore, in the Bolduque museums, Hieronymus Hieronymus has “rivals” of great stature such as Bruegel, Van Gogh or Sluijters or the modern artists of Het Noordbrabants. And if there is a character who disputes the fame of Flemish painters, it is the great golden dragon in the square that bears his name. It is a beautiful specimen that curls its tail around the column that supports it, and is escorted by similar jet trees that guard its base. Everyone comes to take photos at the foot of the monsters, even when they have to save the swarm of bicycles on the roundabout.
Bolduque is located 90 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, from where it can be reached in just one hour – with fluid traffic – on the A-2 motorway.
