The National Monument Camp Vught presents the permanent exhibition “Kamp Vught: zeven seizoenen en 32.000 verhalen” (Camp Vught: seven seasons and 32,000 stories). The grounds include reconstructions of watchtowers and a camp barrack. The exhibition and reconstructions offer different ways to engage with the site: the exhibition brings seasons and stories together in its title, while the reconstructed buildings reflect visible features of the grounds.
Heritage in different forms
DePetrus offers a different perspective: the former church has been transformed into a cultural centre and a lively meeting place. There, you can experience the building’s historic and contemporary architecture and learn more about how it came to be. At the DePetrus meeting centre, visitors can get routes, souvenirs and personalised advice about Vught. Architectural history and practical orientation thus sit side by side, without reducing the place to a single function.
Kasteel Maurick also combines a long history with a distinctive setting. Its history dates back to 1257; the castle is located in Vught on a 2.2-hectare island in the river De Dommel. The interplay of the historic building, island and river gives this place its own character within the heritage theme. In Cromvoirt, meanwhile, you can discover historic buildings along St. Lambertusstraat, where there is a historic ribbon development.
Vught is part of the Zuiderwaterlinie and the ’s-Hertogenbosch–Heusden defence line. The “Vughtse Heide” circular route offers a close-up view of historic defensive structures: along woodland paths, it passes three lunettes and their moats, built on the Vughtse Heide in the 19th century. The fortifications are therefore not only part of the region’s historical context, but also a feature to discover on a walk through the landscape.
Explore the landscape and trails
The municipality of Vught lies where high sandy soils meet low-lying river valleys. Accordingly, the landscape ranges from dry to wet areas. De Gement is an open, low-lying area in the north of the municipality. Helvoirts Broek has a different character: this low-lying wetland includes ponds, embankments and woodland. Those interested in landscapes will therefore find not just one typical setting here, but several distinct, clearly named landscape types.
Cycling and walking routes are available in Vught, Helvoirt and Cromvoirt, passing through woods, heathland, historic sites and country estates. Two walking routes are particularly easy to distinguish by length. The “Vughtse Heide” circular route is 5 kilometres long and passes the three lunettes and their moats. In Helvoirt, the 15-kilometre Van Gogh National Park walking route starts at Saint Nicholas Church. It runs through the Brabant countryside to places where Vincent van Gogh lived and worked. You can choose between a shorter loop with a specific historical theme and a longer route linked to Van Gogh, without inferring a walking time from the distance.
Helvoirt also has seven official Van Gogh monuments. These include the rectory, the Protestant Church and the grave of his uncle Johannes (Jan). These memorial sites add named monuments to the story of Van Gogh; the walking route and the individual monuments are distinct ways to explore the area.
Activities and practical information
There are also a range of options for an active visit. Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt offers a full day of golf with its Day Member option. IJM Klimbos has 15 climbing routes at four different heights, as well as a 20-metre-high observation tower. These details describe two very different types of activity: a full day of golf on the one hand, and several climbing routes with a tall observation tower on the other.
When choosing accommodation, it may help to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: the memorial site and architectural history, the landscape and walking trails, or a specific activity such as golf. The municipality of Vught is easy to reach by car and public transport. If you are planning your journey, check public transport timetables before you travel.
Discover more destinations: Vught, Cromvoirt, Bergeijk, Eersel, Hilvarenbeek, Waalre, Maasdonk, Cranendonck.
For the broader travel guide: North Brabant.
