The little people route currently comprises 45 miniature scenes and is an informative and funny walk over and through Oudenbosch of just under 5 kilometres. Of course you can also cut the route in half. In some places the little person is not in a cube, but well hidden somewhere in the search area.
Are you missing something or do you encounter damage? Let us know. We also think it’s great if you leave a comment on this website!
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1. Night walk by Vincent van Gogh / Stationsstraat 7 / behind the window, to the right of the letterbox
Did you know that on April 7, 1877, Vincent van Gogh took a walk from Station Oudenbosch to Zundert? He writes to his brother Theo on April 8, 1877: “Saturday evening I left Dordrecht with the last train for Oudenbosch and walked from there to Zundert. It was so beautiful there in the moor, even though it was dark, one could still see how that moor plain and mast woods and marshes stretched far and wide, […]. The sky was gray but the evening star shone through the clouds and now and then other stars were seen. It was still very early when I arrived at the cemetery in Zundert where it was so quiet, I went to see all the old places and paths again and waited for the sun to rise.”
2. Mustache / Lollestraat 17 / right next to the front door
In Dutch there are about 50 (!) nicknames for police or police officer, including ‘platte petten’, ‘koddebeier’ and ‘klabak’. Most of these nicknames are offensive or disapproving, but fortunately there are also those who call this profession with more respect.
3. Homemade pies / down right next to rain pipe / Markt 78
Parents of boys and girls from both St Louis and St Anna boarding schools were allowed to visit their children during the weekend. Sometimes this was extra festive and they visited Looijmans’ cake shop. Despite the fact that the tearoom has been closed for years, everyone knows this building because the most delicious cakes in Oudenbosch were eaten here! This tearoom has received a royal award.
4. False clock / Markt 72 / to the right of the door behind the window
This is one of the bells of the Basilica behind you, but of course in miniature. With this even smaller person (1:160) next to it, you can clearly see how big the clocks are! The clocks in the Basilica are controlled by a computer. That way it can hardly ever go wrong.
The Basilica has a total of 6 bells (the two largest weigh 1500 kilos!) Two of them were hung in 1948 because the original ones were taken by the Germans in the Second World War, three were transferred from the church of Standdaarbuiten in 2015 and the last one originally hung in the former hospital of Oudenbosch.
Before the three from Standdaarbuiten were hung here, they were restored in Asten in Brabant, where the largest bell foundry in the world is located. A so-called “False bell” is constructed before the real bell is made.
5. Collegestraatje, Markt 70, immediately left around the corner , disappeared, working on it
If you Google on Collegestraatje Oudenbosch, Google does not understand it and indicates that it does not know this street. Does the street really exist? Yes, this is really the Collegestraatje, named after the Latin school which used to be located here on the Markt. Time for an official sign, the Little People must have thought…
6. Annie on the moped / Markt 54 / under the letterbox
The moped has existed since the 1940s. Until 1966 the official name was a bicycle with an auxiliary engine. The name moped was coined in 1950 by a journalist from the newspaper Het Parool. Later this vehicle was popularly called moped (moterbike with pedals). Today they are increasingly rare. The scooter has taken over.
7. Make a confession / Markt 52 / left next to the entrance
Look back: The Basilica of Oudenbosch. Go inside and imagine yourself really abroad.
Oudenbosch is a Catholic stronghold. You still regularly come across retired and departed brothers and sisters who sometimes have a drink with the residents to exchange stories. Here you see father Frank, well-known in Oudenbosch, who travels many kilometers on his steel steed.
8. Can you transfer me? / at Markt 50 to the left / immediately on the right halfway down the wall / under the picture of the old-fashioned telephone / without cube
Actually, it was Mr. Meucci who was smart enough to invent the telephone, but he didn’t have the money to apply for a patent. In 1867 Mr. Bell does this and the verb “bellen” (“to call”) originates in the Netherlands.
The Old Post Office of Oudenbosch In 1923, the State Company of Post, Telegraphy and Telephony (PTT) is founded. Until 1990, this company was the only provider in the Netherlands under various names. After that, several providers will be added and we now have several providers. The “wired” line is disappearing from more and more households.
9. Two tourists / Behind the Post Office 48 / on the separation of the wall of Huize Zantvoort and the high stone fence / without cube
Day and night you could find a city guide here waiting for visitors to walk the Little People’s Route with him. Unfortunately, this has disappeared twice. Now two tourists are waiting for a new city guide! For more information about city walks, visit the Visit Halderberge website http://www.visithalderberge.com
10. See the Artboretum through the trees / Behind the Post Office 1 / to the right of the entrance (steel gate)
Arboretum Oudenbosch is a green pearl in the historic heart of Oudenbosch. The fathersgarden, the grotto and the statues of saints are tangible reminders of the former monastery garden. The design of the current garden dates from 1987.
An arboretum is a scientific garden where research was done on trees and plants. This arboretum is well preserved and is now maintained entirely by volunteers.
From Saturday, April 1, an extension to the Little People Route will start in the Arboretum! Cubes hidden in this beautiful garden tell about nature and the climate in a positive and sometimes funny way! The route, the map and a magnifying glass are available at the counter to go on a journey of discovery. Fun for big and small people!
11. Applause! / Behind the Post Office 3 / on the right side of the building
At this spot you are standing in front of the Thomashuis van Oudenbosch. A Thomashuis is a small-scale residential facility for people with an intellectual disability. The residents and the responsible care providers live together in the most normal way possible. Short lines of communication, warmth and personal attention are central.
This building used to be the theater and auditorium of the St Louis chapel. Performances took place here for the boys who were here at the boarding school. This clown is therefore completely in place here to entertain the highly honored public with his jokes!
12. The 367 brothers of St. Louis / Gonzagaplein / high in the right tree in front of the cemetery entrance / without cube
A father is a Catholic theology student or clergyman who has not received (higher) ordination, but who has taken the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in a congregation or an order. It happens that a man enters, but does not have the capacity or vocation to become a priest. Such a person can still do a lot of useful work within the order, for example as a missionary, teacher, sexton or infirmary. In Oudenbosch many fathers were teachers at Saint Louis. After their death they were buried here.
13. Boys / Aloysiushof 68 / de Herbergier / on the far left of the building
The love, the love so quiet and so tender, the love, the love that hardly speaks anymore, the love, the love that smiles only with pale pink lips silently in front of it.
Poet by Joost Prinsen
14. Urinating people / St. Louisplein / in the tunnel from the scene Boys on the right / look carefully for our 3 little urinators / without cube
In the Netherlands, urinating in public within city limits is, in principle, prohibited. You can be fined €150 for this! To prevent urinating in public, public toilets are being installed in more and more places. Floodlights are switched on at the church in Breda to scare away people who urinate in public.
So these 3 little people are taking a risk!
15. Skipper may I cross / St. Louisplein / on one of the stone pillars on which the green lanterns stand
Saint Louis, founded in 1840, was one of the oldest and largest Catholic boys’ boarding schools in the Netherlands. In its heyday, more than 700 boys were taken care of. At the end of the 1960s, skippers and children of fairground operators were also taken care of. Shortly afterwards, the Sint Anna girls’ boarding school closed its doors and these girls were also taken care of in Saint Louis. This made it a ‘mixed’ boarding school that only closed its doors definitively in 2005.
16. Youp van ’t Hek (famous dutch comedian) / St. Louisplein / At the back of the green courtyard adjacent to the square, to the left of the doors under a windowsill
Youp van ’t Hek’s grandfather lived here at the St. Louis boarding school. Here he taught and composed (ecclesiastical) music. Here too he developed his own musical instrument; a hollow box with wine glasses on top. He dipped his fingers in vinegar and, making circular movements with his fingers on the glasses, made the instrument sing. Here in Oudenbosch, the seed may have been planted for the creativity of Youp van t Hek.
17. Gate of freedom / Markt 36 A/B / on the left side of the gate
Did you know that after the Second World War in 1945, about 13,000 surviving Jews, resistance fighters, forced labourers, gypsies, homosexuals and political prisoners arrived in Oudenbosch by train? Saint Louis functioned as a National Reception Center, a kind of repatriation site. Dutchmen who joined the Waffen SS also first came here after the liberation.
It must have been a strange sensation to see these war victims return alongside Dutch SS men. With their last meager possessions they passed through this gate, now called the gate of freedom.
18. Archeology in the museum / Markt 30A / walk through the gate / look for the cube to the right of the steel fence near the mailboxes
In the Natural History and Ethnology Museum Oudenbosch you can admire, among other things, the archaeological collection.
More than 2000 years ago, Roman armies entered Brabant. At that time this was an area with swamps and dense forests. The Romans stayed here for about five centuries. They built cities, settlements, aqueducts, bridges and much more.
When they withdrew from our country, they left behind all sorts of things. They were later recovered and excavated by archaeologists.
In this museum they tell about those objects and the history of our province.
A visit to this museum is definitely worth it!
19. In the banksy / Markt 26 / on the left side of the building, around the corner
Banksy leaves his artwork all over the world. No one knows who Banksy is, but you may be walking along a street one morning and suddenly find a real Bansky. We would very much like to invite this artist to Oudenbosch, but until then we have to make do with a very small print of one of his most famous works.
20. Dress for success / Markt 24 / to the left of the door / somewhere near the window
With the arrival of the digital age, more and more people have started shopping online and unfortunately more and more shops are disappearing from the street scene. In Oudenbosch we try to maintain the shops by doing our shopping in the village as much as possible. Here you can buy nice clothes, local beers and beautiful jewelry. Here you can also buy the Little People Postcard ‘Greetings from Oudenbosch’ for 1€.
21. Pokémon / Fenkelstraat 15 / under the mailbox
Pokémon was invented in Japan in 1991 by Satoshi Tajiri and became very popular. Pokémon is an abbreviation of “Pocket Monsters”. A game could be played on the (now old-fashioned) Game Boy and beautiful cards appeared. These can be exchanged by collectors. There was also an anime series on TV.
Today, Pokémon is still popular among young and old. In this cube you see Pikachu, a cute yellow rodent with the body of a hamster and ears of a rabbit. It is one of the most famous of the 1010 figures that were designed. Its tail resembles a lightning bolt and its cheeks have pouches to store electricity.
22. Beer? / Fenkelstraat 15 / on the right of the window
Beer was brewed thousands of years ago! Beer recipes have been handed down and used throughout history.
In the Middle Ages, drinking beer every day was quite normal. That beer contained much less alcohol. At that time the water was so dirty that people drank beer instead. The ancient Greeks and then the Romans considered beer an inferior drink. They preferred wine. The elite in Europe adopted this custom. But now drinking beer is popular again among all layers of the population. Even our king likes a beer now and then. He used to be called Prince Pils for a reason!
Oudenbosch had two beer breweries until the end of the 1950s; The Anchor and The Bourgogne Cross. Now, within the municipality of Halderberge, there is only the brewery ’t Meuleneind in Hoeven. The Oudenbosch beer festival takes place in Oudenbosch every year in September, where various special beers can be tasted.
23. Gift / Fenkelstraat 7A / under the letterbox / no longer existst
Gifts are given as long as man exists. Cavemen gave each other a beautiful animal tooth, a special stone or a piece of tree bark. Egyptians brought gifts to the tomb. The more expensive the gifts, the more important the deceased person had been. In the Middle Ages, people sometimes sewed a lock of their own hair into the clothing of a loved one as a token of love.
The tradition of gift-giving is also continued in the present day. Every culture has its own unique traditions in this.
24. Half sole / Fenkelstraat 21-A / right of shop window
The title half sole dates back to the early days of the route. There are fewer and fewer shoemakers, a pity because we know from experience that shoes can easily last for years after they have been taken care of here. Unfortunately, the shoemaker who repaired our shoes here also stopped at the end of 2021. Our little friend is waiting High on the H until his legs are shortened. Fortunately, there is a tailor here, because clothes also last a new life.
25. Benefactor / Fenkelstraat 22 / left of the door
Maria Jacoba Boogaerts (1796-1883), widow of Johannes Hopstaken, lived at this address. She was a stately, wealthy lady. In 1872 she made an amount of 27,000 guilders available to enable the construction of an hospital for the sick and elderly. That became the Sint Elisabeth hospital founded in Oudenbosch. The Franciscan nuns of Charitas took care of the sick. She later donated another 12,000 guilders to build a chapel at the complex. In 1983 the hospital was abandoned. It soon became a ruin and it was demolished. At that place, West-Vaardeke 11-A, there is now a Medical Center. Unfortunately, she was never honored with a street name sign. To make up for this, she now gets a real statue in this small cube!
26. I will be right back / Fenkelstraat 30 / right next to the shop window between the rain pipe and the ‘pipe’
Heart patients with a pet live longer than heart patients without a pet. Pets increase our levels of serotonin and oxytocin (a hormone associated with feeling good and confidence). Whether you have a dog, a cat or a fish to take care of: the bottom line is that a pet makes you ‘happier’ 😉
27.Fashion magazine / Fenkelstraat 38 / behind the window
More than 200,000 years ago, our distant ancestors began to wear clothing as protection against cold and rain. They used animal skins, wool and vegetable materials. Gradually clothing became more and more important. Slowly the concept of “fashion” emerged. Before the advent of the internet, printed fashion magazines determined what would become a trend. A well-known fashion magazine is Vogue. In the cube you see actor Timothée Chamalet on the cover of a 2022 issue. He was the first man to appear on the cover of this magazine! He allowed himself to be photographed in gender-neutral clothing.
28. Fanfare Band / Professor van Ginnekenstraat 1 / left next to the door
A fanfare (from Arabic: ‘fanfar’) is a musical ensemble consisting of brass players, percussionists and saxophonists. Especially in the Netherlands and Belgium there are many brass bands. The Netherlands currently has 2300 marching bands, but that number is declining due to the aging population. The musicians are often elderly and attracting new members is not always easy. In Halderberge you will find a number of active brass bands, but if you google ‘fanfare Oudenbosch’, you will end up at a film house. Every Thursday evening, this cinema shows the most beautiful newly released films in the secondary school’s cinema. It i definitely recommended to go there.
29. Let’s dance! / Professor van Ginnekenstraat 14 / right of the shop window
There are more than 150 different types of dances. There is also a lot of dancing in Oudenbosch, even at a world level our dance school delivers high quality.
30. Good Luck! / Professor van Ginnekenstraat 13 / left next to the entrance, under the white mailbox
Number 13 is often considered an unlucky number by those who are superstitious. But as an angel number number 13 is very auspicious (angel number 13 is a sign from your angels that you are connected to spiritual ascended masters and their ability to help you manifest your wishes).
It is sometimes said out of insignificant, insignificant persons or things: so there are a dime a dozen (so in a dozen); so one can get one more, they are of so little value.
31. Seabeggars / Kade 11 / at one of the grilles / disappeared
Before the Eighty Years’ War (1568 – 1648) broke out, Oudenbosch was doing very well economically. There was a lively peat trade. The peat was transported from this harbor to Dordrecht by large ships. The port of Oudenbosch thus fulfilled an important role in the Netherlands. At the start of the Eighty Years’ War, water beggars invaded Oudenbosch through the harbour. The village was looted and burned to the ground. Sea beggars are also compared to pirates. In this cube you see a classic sea pirate. Most pirates wore an eye patch. They pushed it aside as they descended into the dark hold of the ship they had captured. That eye didn’t have to get used to the dark, so the pirate could immediately see all the treasures that lay there. And take it with them!
32. Keep your hat on / Kade 21 / under left window
A hat as a statement, a hat to show what “class” you belonged to. Hats to cover your greasy hair. The hat has hardly been worn since the Second World War.
Only on Prinsjesdag you still can see hats on women’s heads. The men fail here. People still like to wear a hat during carnival. This is one of the few places where you can still have a hat fitted.
33. Miss the boat…or not? / Kaaistraat 2 / left of the entrance under the 33
The canoe has been used all over the world for a long time. The Pesse canoe, the oldest canoe, dates from the period between 8200 and 7600 BC. The term ‘canoe’ comes from the Portuguese/Spanish word ‘canoa’. They think that this word came via Columbus from the Caribbebotword for canoes. Here you can rent canoes, although these two boys prefer to sit in an inflatable boat.
34. Patience is a good thing / Kade 6-8 / between the main entrance and 34 window / bottom left, almost on the pavement / without cube
The port of Oudenbosch owes its first success to the peat trade. The monks had this area cultivated in the 13th century. Around 1300 they dug a canal. Later it was used to bring in stones from Belgium to build the Basilica.
35. Drunk men / Polderstraat 1 / right next to the entrance around the corner of the shop ‘Flesje wijn’
Young people are drinking more and more. The number of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 ending up in a hospital with an alcohol coma is increasing alarming. Research shows that drinking takes place mainly on the weekends. The very first drink is offered to most by their parents. Many teenagers are therefore under the impression that their parents do not mind if they also drink outside their home.
36. Energie(k) / Stoofstraat 35 / In the shop window on a roof tile
Energiek Halderberge is an initiative of residents of Halderberge. The energy that Energiek Halderberge produces is 100% green and is 100% generated locally. This allows them to tell you exactly where the energy they supply comes from. With the proceeds they stimulate new projects in Halderberge around the generation of sustainable energy. More information can be found at http://www.energiekhalderberge.nl
37. Cozy mess / Stoofstraat 15 / between the two windows on the square to the left of number 15
Most people know ’t Stoofje as a second-hand shop. But ’t Stoofje offers more: it is a social and activity center and walk-in café. The space became too small and in 2019 the two adjacent buildings were added. Now it can accommodate about 5,000 visitors a year.
38. Zouave 2063 / Markt 31 / to the right of the stairs on the wall
In 1860, Pope Pius IX calls on Catholic boys and men to help in the struggle to maintain an independent papal territory in Italy. About 3000 Dutch boys respond to this call and, together with Zouaves from other European countries, form the Pope’s army.
In this cube you see the portrait of Zouaaf number 2063, Pieter Janszoon Jong from Lutjebroek. An amazing big man! He was so tall that one couldn’t find a suitable uniform for him in whole Rome. When he registered, the mayor of Lutjebroek said: “Friend, what do you want to do? Why should you bear arms for a strange prince?” To which Pieter said: “What are you saying? The Pope a stranger? The pope is my father, I tell you!”. And full of fighting spirit, he left Oudenbosch by train for Rome.
Pieter died a glorious death on October 18, 1867 at the battle of Monte Libretti.
Do you want to know more about the Zouaves? Here is the Zouave Museum.
39. Biscuits from Buys in everyone’s house / Markt 37 / right next to the door
In 1891 Bernardus Buijs (later with i-grec due to international export of ‘Angel Kisses’) bought an existing bakery shop at this address. Among other things, he baked bread for the residents of St Louis (across the street). At the same time, he also took over the De Voorzorg bread factory in Lollestraat and a still unknown delicacy of foam, egg white and a thin layer of chocolate rolled out of the factory. In the 1920s, the Netherlands became acquainted with the angel kisses via Oudenbosch.
40. Protected cradle / Markt 45 / turn left onto Jan Gielenplein / just past the statues of the frogs (Puitenol during carnival) left at the wooden fence / left of the gate under the stone edge
In the Netherlands there are various options for giving birth under secrecy and for handing over the child. It happens on average once a year that a woman, for whatever reason, does not want to or can not take care of her baby. If a mother really has no way out and decides to give up the baby (by leaving it somewhere unprotected or, even worse, kill it), she can put her baby in a special room: The protected cradle. Behind this wall is such a cradle.
41. TIP / right next to the main entrance of the Basilica / right next to the TIP door
Since April 1, 2023, the tourist information point is located in the former baptistery of the Basilica. Most visitors come to Oudenbosch to visit the Basilica. But this village has so much more to offer! Volunteers are available from Wednesday to Saturday to give tourists a warm welcome and provide information. This cheerful cube puts these volunteers in the spotlight! Here you can also buy the Little People Postcard ‘Greetings from Oudenbosch’ for 1€.
42. Read and let be read / St Annaplein 3 / to the right of the entrance / right next to the rain pipe / under the image of the nun
A public library is the most democratic object in the world – Doris Lessing (British writer and Nobel laureate in literature 2007) 1919-2013. The Sint Anna convent was founded in 1837 as a succursal home of the Franciscan nuns of Roosendaal, but soon became an independent congregation. There was a school and an orphanage attached to the monastery. In 1994 the nuns left the convent. It was given a new purpose as a council chamber and library.
43. Loose nun / right of the main entrance of the st. Anna / without cube
This is the old monastery Sint Anna. A girls’ boarding school and educational institutions were housed here until 1994. The girls, aged between 6 and 20, were taken care of by the Franciscan nuns of Oudenbosch. A nun is a female monk. The word monk means “lonely”. Nun (Latin: nonnus = old, used for venerable persons) or (monastic) sister is a Catholic or Orthodox woman who has taken the monastic vow of poverty, purity and obedience in order to lead a religious life.
44. Mayor’s house / Sint Bernaertsstraat 1 / under the old bell
In 2022, Bernd Roks came to live in this house. Since 2021 he is the mayor of the municipality of Halderberge. In 1997, a number of villages came together to form the current municipality of Halderberge. In this cube you see the mayor portrayed with the municipal coat of arms of Halderberge in the background. There was a lot of squabbling about the municipal coat of arms at the time. In the end, this design was chosen. In the upper half you see the Burcht from the coat of arms of Hoeven, flanked on both sides by the trees from the coat of arms of Oudenbosch. The birds in the bottom half come from the coat of arms of New- en Old Gastel.
45. Sint Bernaertsstraat 27 / left next to the shop window
Wijnhandel Van Spaandonk has been around since 1864… how many glasses of wine have been drunk from the cellar of this family business since then?
Kleine Mensjes Route Oudenbosch 