Museum Sint Paulushofje

About the museum

The Sint Paulushofje goes back to an endowment from 1681, established by Justus de Nobelaer to provide housing for thirteen poor women. The low cottages surround a small inner courtyard with a garden and a neoclassical stone pump. It is the only still-inhabited private Hofje in North Brabant and is still generally reserved for women.

The museum is housed in this ensemble on the market square of Etten-Leur and emerged from the former Streekmuseum Etten+Leur (regional museum). It shows how people in the villages of Etten and Leur lived and worked at the time of Vincent van Gogh, who lived in Etten as a young man. Period-furnished rooms and workshops evoke trades such as wheelwright, tanner, and blacksmith.

Further themes include the history of psychiatry in Etten-Leur, where patients were cared for from the early 20th century, and the local aviation pioneer Heerma van Voss. The collection of the GGz Breburg psychiatric museum (Huysmuseum), which closed in 2019, has since been incorporated here. Visitors may cross the courtyard and should respect the privacy of the residents. The museum belongs to Van Gogh Etten-Leur, whose single ticket also covers the location at Markt 4.

Highlights

• Listed, still-inhabited Hofje from 1681
• Village life, workshops, and crafts in Van Gogh's time
• History of psychiatry in Etten-Leur
• Aviation pioneer Heerma van Voss
• Café Havenzicht in 1960s style

Permanent exhibition

• Leben zur Zeit Van Goghs – Furnished rooms and workshops show rural life and crafts in the villages of Etten and Leur in the 19th century, plus themes on psychiatry and aviation pioneer Heerma van Voss.

Admission & discounts

The ticket is valid at both Van Gogh Etten-Leur locations (Museum Sint Paulushofje and Markt 4). Free with the Museumkaart; special rates for students and groups.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Both buildings are largely wheelchair-accessible; loaner wheelchairs are available.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the center on the market square and is easy to reach by bicycle.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café Havenzicht in 1960s style and museum shop in the Sint Paulushofje.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.