Bergen op Zoom: from town palace to old town gate
The Markiezenhof is open, although two sections are temporarily closed. The Gevangenpoort offers a second look at the fortress past.
According to VVV Brabantse Wal, Bergen op Zoom is a historic fortress town on the water. The VVV counts more than eight hundred monuments in the town centre alone. Two buildings show different sides of that past: the Markiezenhof as a former town palace and the Gevangenpoort as a remnant of the fortifications.
The Markiezenhof was the residence of the lords of Bergen op Zoom. The museum calls it the oldest town palace in the Netherlands and dates the design by the architect Anthonis to 1485. As a museum, the building shows the history of the town and region, with a new permanent presentation on the interplay between nature, landscape and people.
Not the whole museum is accessible. On 17 September the Markiezenhof announced that the miniature fair and Authentiek Bergs are closed for the time being after minimal amounts of asbestos particles were found in three rooms. According to the museum, the rest remains open and safe to visit. No date has been announced for the reopening of these sections.
The Gevangenpoort is the fourteenth-century Lievevrouwepoort. Stadsgidsen Bergen op Zoom describes it as the former main entrance to the walled fortress. After the harbour quarter was laid out to the west of the gate, the building became a remand prison.
The Markiezenhof at Steenbergsestraat 8 is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. A ticket for visitors aged eighteen and over costs €14.50; for children aged six to seventeen it is €6.50. You buy the ticket at the desk; no reservation is needed.
The Gevangenpoort at Lievevrouwestraat 60 can be visited, according to the city guides, until the end of October, Tuesday to Sunday from 13:00 to 16:30. Admission during regular opening hours is free. That makes it possible to combine both buildings in a single afternoon.