SHERTOGENBOSCH (DEN BOSCH)

City founded by the dukes of Brabantin the mid-12th century. It was granted urban statutesin 1185. Because of its strategic position near the Meuse River, ’s Her togenbosch became an important commercial and industrial center. The painterHieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) lived here as a mem ber of the Fraternity of Our Lady in the Cathedral of Saint John (Sint Jan). During the Revolt and the Eighty Years’War, the city was re captured from the Spaniards by the stadtholder Frederick Henry in 1629. Since 1815, ’s Hertogenbosch has been the capital of the province of Noord-Brabant. The city, with about 95,000 residents, is a center of industry, culture, and education. Until 2001, one of the biggest weekly cattle markets of the Netherlands was held here. It is the seat of a provincial orchestra, and the city houses a fine collection of paintings and art objects in the Noordbrabants Museum.