Walk Camp near Rijen

Your route starts at Smaak Lokaal. From the Atalanta road in Rijen you walk into the forest. The Kampstraat sign on a forest path refers to the history of this area. There was once a huge army camp on the open heathland. Around 1830, as many as fifteen thousand soldiers were stationed here, in a camp as large as a city. More people lived in Breda than at the time, which then had twelve thousand inhabitants. When Napoleon was defeated, the great powers decided to merge the Netherlands and Belgium into one state. This northern buffer against France marked the beginning of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. After fifteen years, the Belgians wanted to secede, which is why fifty to sixty thousand soldiers were stationed in Brabant. The main force was in this camp near Rijen. After the route you can relax while enjoying a drink at Gastrobar Wendy, neighbors of Smaak Lokaal.