The Netherlands has a new national park honoring Vincent Van Gogh, and including some of the areas he painted early in his career. It’s said to be the first ‘new style’ national park, taking culture and the local economy into account, as well as the natural environment.
As such, the 100,000 hectare park includes not only open natural areas, but also towns and cities associated with the painter, including Nuenen, the town where his father was a pastor and where Van Gogh painted his father’s church, seen in the image above and the painting below.
“Visitors from home and abroad can enjoy the same nature and same beautiful landscapes that inspired Van Gogh,” park chairman Martijn van Dam said at launch ceremony last week. National park status provides “a strong motor for further area development and a good living environment for man, flora and fauna,” Van Dam said.
