Vincent van Gogh in Zundert (1853-1864 and 1868-1869)

On March 30, 1853 Vincent van Gogh is born in Zundert in a little house on Zunderts main street, “Markt 29”. He is named after his both grandfathers.

On March 30, 1852, a year before the artist was born, Anna and Theodore had their first child. This child was stillborn and is buried in Zundert under the name Vincent Van Gogh. The grave of this child can be found at the cemetery next to the Protestant church in Zundert.

Birth house ZundertThe original house is gone as it was too dilapidated to preserve, but a plaque on the building still commemorates his birth. After a renovation, a museum and gallery dedicated to Vincent’s life will open in 2008. There is a statue made by the French artist Ossip Zadkine of Vincent and his brother Theo on the “Vincent van Gogh Plein” (Vincent van Gogh square), and people can still visit the Dutch Reformed church build in 1806 in which the father of Vincent, Theodorus van Gogh, started preaching in 1849.

Vincent did not paint when he lived in Zundert, but he did draw some sketches. In letters to his brother Theo, he recalls Zundert, and its surroundings a few times when writing about childhood, serenity, and learning about life.