Carmelite Street

Just walk through the usually open gate of the Prins Albert Barracks at number 26 on Karmelietenstraat. You will be surprised by the immense empty space that used to be the training ground for soldiers. On the left, new homes are rising, and on the right, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is building an extension to the Egmont Palace. History was made here. Once stood the house of the Lord of Culemborg, where in 1566 the Geuzen banquet is said to have taken place. The Duke of Alva had it demolished in revenge, but the pious Isabella found a monastery foundation more efficient as penance. This monastery of the Discalced Carmelites (hence the street name) served as a prison in the nineteenth century and had, among others, the French poet Paul Verlaine as a guest. At the beginning of the last century, it was replaced by the current barracks. A difficult-to-find memorial plaque on the facade shows the beggar's bag and cup, the symbols of the Geuzen. On the opposite side of the street, architect Jaspers built the main building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in his characteristic postmodern style, which you can also find in the Radisson SAS Hotel in the city center and the headquarters of KBC by the Canal. If you look up from Bodenbroekstraatje, you will see how a large, classical-inspired arch frames the monumental entrance of the barracks.

Ramm