Cycle route The legend of the Dancing Cats in Bergeijk
Bergeijk
The legend of the Dancing Cats of Bergeijk tells the story of a burial mound called the Kattenberg, located in Bergeijk. According to the legend, witches used to gather here to dance during their witches’ sabbath. Cycle this route and pass the places where the witches, disguised as black cats, showed themselves. In order not to be noticed, the witches turned themselves into black cats. This is how they danced hand in hand (or actually paw to paw) in a circle on the hill. If a man passed by on his own, the witches became more aggressive and lured him into the circle to dance with them. This sometimes resulted in a fatal outcome. The only man who dared to defy the dancing cats was Dorus, the miller. He had to grind his grain at night, because only at night the wind still blew. The witches managed to find him. The black cats attacked him, scratching, screaming and biting. Dorus ran out of his mill: “I will never grind again!” A problem, because then Bergeijk was without bread. The miller’s helper Jan did not believe in witchcraft and dared to work in the mill the following night. It seemed like a quiet evening, until a small black kitten appeared. Jan stroked the little animal. “Nothing to worry about,” he still thought. But suddenly he too was surrounded by 41 dancing cats. He swung an old sabre around and managed to chase them away. The cats left something behind. The next morning, Dorus made a gruesome discovery: he found the chopped off finger with the ring of his missing wife. He went looking for her. He searched everywhere, under trees, in the pools near De Liske, at the Heksenbusselke and at the air castle. She could not be found anywhere. Then he knew it: he had to find her at the Kattenberg. That night Dorus went to the burial mound and saw 41 black cats, paw to paw, dancing in a witches’ circle. He danced with them, all night long. Suddenly he felt something strange: a cat with a missing knuckle. When the sun came up, the cats suddenly disappeared. How was he supposed to find his wife now? He asked the priest for help, and he knew that witches would come to the sound of church bells. He rang the bells of Het Luihuis. Then the sky turned completely black and the 41 witches flew around the church on their broomsticks. The priest sprinkled holy water into the air. As soon as the witches were hit by the water, they fell down like large boulders. Dorus’ wife too. So Dorus would never see his wife again. In memory of her, he placed a plaque of a black cat in his mill, the Standerdmolen of Bergeijk. Photo: ©Visit Brabant
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Molenakkers , 5571 CC Bergeijk | 21.7 KM | |
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From
86
to
85
|
175 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Hof | 175 M | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
|
From
85
to
84
|
1858 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head northwest on Eerselsedijk | 31 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Eerselsedijk | 896 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sparrendreef | 679 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Dopheidedreef | 252 M | ||
| You are now at section 84 | 0 M | ||
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From
84
to
88
|
1231 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head west on Hooge Berkt | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 88 | 0 M | ||
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From
88
to
8
|
1244 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Berkterbeemden | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
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From
8
to
77
|
3118 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Puttendijk | 634 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oude Postelseweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Stökskesweg | 17 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Stökskesweg | 116 M | ||
| Turn left onto Standerdmolen | 558 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Standerdmolen | 25 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 18 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kennedylaan | 580 M | ||
| You are now at section 77 | 0 M | ||
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From
77
to
87
|
762 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head southwest on Kleine Broekstraat | 266 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kleine Broekstraat | 130 M | ||
| Turn right onto Broekstraat | 366 M | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
25
|
4009 M | 4 KM | |
| Head south on Vonderpad | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Voorste Aa | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M | ||
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From
25
to
26
|
3527 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head east | 663 M | ||
| Turn right onto Bredasedijk | 12 M | ||
| Turn left | 1 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 26 | 0 M | ||
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From
26
to
5
|
4051 M | 4.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Burgemeester Aartslaan | 319 M | ||
| Turn right | 114 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 1.4 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 389 M | ||
| Turn left | 145 M | ||
| Turn right | 305 M | ||
| Turn left onto Borkelsedijk | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
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From
5
to
85
|
1322 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Borkelsedijk | 650 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Borkelsedijk | 25 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 25 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 6 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Eykereind | 616 M | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
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From
85
to
86
|
355 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head west on Hof | 163 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Meester Pankenstraat | 17 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hof | 175 M | ||
| You are now at section 86 | 0 M |