Vught

For a relatively small town (25,000 residents), Vught has an awful lot to offer from museums, grand estates and outstanding natural beauty to the picturesque hamlet of Cromvoirt. Vught also has its own railway station making it accessible from nearly anywhere in the Netherlands.

Located a short distance from 's-Hertogenbosch, the village was first mentioned in historical documents for the first time in 1006. It must have been an important place back then as it was awarded the right to issue coins as early as 1028 and later, in 1050, to levy tolls. Many architectural masterpieces were erected here over the centuries, which have earned Vught the nickname of Buitenplaats (Outdoor Place). If you enjoy greenery and peaceful surroundings you'll feel right at home here. But make no mistake. Vught is is hardly boring. In summer the public De IJzeren Man (The Iron Man) lake is a major attraction and throughout the rest of the year interesting museums like Vught's Museum and the Genie Museum provide an interesting glimpse of the turbulent history experienced by this hidden gem. Its lunettes, which are crescent moon shaped fortifications surrounded by a moat, are characteristic of Vught and tangible evidence of the village's rich military significance. More recently, Vught was closely linked to World War II. There are many memorials, monuments and places of historic value that are no doubt of interest to scholars of those terrible times. The most remarkable are the remains of the 'Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch': the only official SS concentration camp outside Germany. The memory of the over 31,000 people who were kept prisoner in the camp between January 1943 and September 1944, is kept very much alive at the Camp Vught National Monument.