Horses, knights, drums and a single bagpipe; Breda’s city center seemed to be back in the Middle Ages on Whit Monday. The Baroniestad celebrated Nassau Day. Because the cradle of our royal family stood in Breda from 1404 to 1567 and the city could therefore really call itself the royal city.
Unfortunately, William of Orange chose eggs for his money during the Eighty Years’ War and fled Breda.
“With a lot of pomp and circumstance, we can still see here in Breda that the Nassau’s have really been active here for years and were proud residents of this city.”
But much in the city still reminds of the royal period, such as the castle of Breda, the Grote Kerk or the hunting lodge of Prince Maurits; Bouvigne Castle. In that golden period, crafts and guilds took full advantage of the presence of the Nassau family.
“Actually, every Dutch person should know that Breda is the basis of our royal family,” says Marcel Dalinghaus proudly. He is chairman of the Nassaudag Breda Foundation. “The family has made this city great by building the castle and the Grote Kerk, the pride of Breda.”
Not only actors in medieval clothing, but also the KGB – short for Klokkerluiders Gilde Breda – literally carries weight. Because in honor of Nassau Day, the enormous Nassau bell is rung in the tower of the Grote Kerk. And all the medieval monuments in the city are open to the public.
And on the steps of the old town hall, Mayor Paul Depla will also say a few words about the Breda tradition. “With a lot of pomp and circumstance, we can still see here in Breda that the Nassau’s have really been active here for years and were proud residents of this city.”
The first generations of the Nassau are buried in the Grote Kerk. “And if William of Orange had not been shot in Delft on July 10, 1584, he would also have been buried here. Just like Juliana and Claus, who are now buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. But there it is now full and here we have There is still room, so the Oranges can still go here,” says Marcel Dalinghaus.