A large part of North Brabant becomes Van Gogh National Park. The park extends from the southwest of Breda to Helmond in the east and includes several cities, villages and nature and agricultural areas. State Secretary Jean Rummenie of LVVN officially gave this area the status of a national park yesterday.
The new national park is an area of approximately 100,000 hectares in North Brabant, with one and a half million inhabitants and nature reserves such as the Loonse and Drunense Duinen, the Kampina and the Ulvenhoutse Bos. It will be the first new-style national park. This means that it is no longer just a nature reserve, but that culture and strengthening the economy are also included. That is why the park includes several major cities, such as Eindhoven and Den Bosch. There is also farming in the area.
The name can be misleading, ZLTO regional director Hendrik Hoeksema said in Nieuwe Oogst in 2021. ‘It is not a national park where nature is leading. All residents, recreationists and entrepreneurs find their place there and are given the space to develop. Farmers can show in the park that they add value to the region.’
The province of North Brabant and the chairman of the national park regard the new status as ‘a powerful engine for further area development and a good living environment for people, plants and animals’. The area must become an ‘international calling card’ for the province.
Agricultural cultural landscape
Deputy Wilma Dirken (VVD) calls the Van Gogh National Park unique. According to her, this is due to the combination of leading nature reserves in an attractive agricultural landscape, a top economy with 1.5 million people, smart multifunctional solutions for space and the tangible legacy of Van Gogh.
Van Gogh National Park is working on five programs that are connected and in which farmers from the area also play a role. This includes recreational routes through farmland and projects that should improve earning capacity.
