Breda's Broek

Breda is a city in the west of North Brabant, built where the little rivers Mark and Aa meet, and its history has been shaped by water and marshland. The Dutch word broek means marshy ground, usually low-lying land beside a river or stream, and it appears in the names of many places in the Low Countries. A neighbourhood called Broek is therefore likely to stand on ground that was once wet and unfit for building, and was drained and settled later. Breda's Broek is described as a quiet residential area, and the details of its streets and history are not widely published, so what follows describes its likely character and the context of the city around it.

The wetlands around the city were important to its defence as well as its geography. Breda was a fortified town, the seat of the Nassau family, and the surrounding marshes could be flooded to make it harder for besiegers to approach. The castle, now the home of the Royal Military Academy, and the moats and ramparts that surrounded the old town show how seriously the city's defence was taken. The Peace of Breda in 1667 ended a war between the Dutch Republic and England, and the Declaration of Breda in 1660 was issued by the exiled English king Charles II before his return to the throne. In October 1944 the city was liberated by Polish troops, and the event is remembered in monuments and an annual commemoration.

A neighbourhood on this kind of ground tends to have a simple, residential character, with brick houses from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, small gardens and tree-lined lanes, and the occasional corner shop or cafe. There is little in the way of sights, and its charm lies in the ordinary rhythm of daily life, away from the tourist circuit. Visitors who walk through should respect the privacy of residents and keep noise low. The streets are open at all times, and no admission is charged. They are easy to reach from the centre by bus or on foot.

Breda itself has plenty to see. The Grote Markt, with its great Gothic church and tall tower, the town hall, the Begijnhof, the castle park and the old harbour are the main sights, and the Valkenberg park offers pleasant walks. Cafes and restaurants are plentiful, and the Breda Jazz Festival fills the streets each year.

The area suits walkers interested in everyday architecture and in the layers of a Dutch city. A stroll takes half an hour. Breda is reached by direct train from Rotterdam, Utrecht and Antwerp.