Picturesque Warmond at the Kagerplassen, home of Dutch painter Jan Steen
Go beyond the tourist crowds and discover a lovely part of the Netherlands, full of watersport, Dutch windmills, art and culture.
Jan Steen Household
Ever heard of the Dutch painter Jan Havickszoon Steen? He was a Dutch genre painter of the 17th century also known as the Dutch Golden Age. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Jan Steen was born in Leiden, a town in Southern Holland, where his well-to-do, Catholic family were brewers who ran the tavern The Red Halbert for two generations. Jan Steen lived in Warmond, just north of Leiden, from 1656 till 1660 and his house can be found at the beginning of the Jan Steenlaan.
Daily life was Jan Steen's central pictorial theme. Many of the genre scenes he portrayed, as in The Feast of Saint Nicholas, are lively to the point of chaos and lustfulness, even so much that "a Jan Steen household", meaning a messy scene, became a Dutch proverb. Subtle hints in his paintings seem to suggest that Steen said to warn the viewer rather than invite him to copy this behavior. Many of Steen's paintings bear references to old Dutch proverbs or literature. He often used members of his family as models and painted quite a few self-portraits in which he showed no tendency of vanity. (Source: Wikipedia page Jan Steen)
In 2019 Warmond is celebrating the year of the Golden Age and its famous painter Jan Steen. Walks, exhibitions, and other activities are organized. Find more info here (the site is in Dutch).
Many of Steen's works can be seen in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Enjoy a boat trip over the Kagerplassen (the Kager Lakes) and discover a typical Dutch landscape
When visiting Warmond, don't miss out a boat trip over the Kagerplassen! We took one with Rederij van Hulst, and can highly recommend their services. There is a beautiful trip of 2,5 hours that brings you to Kaageiland and sails over a big part of the extended Kagerplassen. The Kaag Lakes is a popular area for boating, watersports, fishing, camping, and walking. Windmills, waterfront pasture land with grazing animals, quaint Dutch boats and buildings, and (in season) flower fields are all part of the charm of boating and walking in this area.
Nice musical intermission on the Kaag Eiland (Kaag island)
The boat trip goes ashore for 45 minutes on the Kaag island. In addition to a cheese farm, a large shipyard that builds yachts for the rich of the earth, we were lucky to find the music festival that takes place every year on the first Sunday in July. Don't miss it next year! More info here.
Conclude your trip with a walk through Warmond. It is full of nice restaurants and also offers events the whole year through. Famous is the Kaagwater Jazz festival in April.