Zwarte Kaat

Zwarte Kaat and Bladel are inextricably linked. On the Markt, you’ll therefore find not one, but two statues of this ‘Witch of Hellenende’. The oldest sculpture can be found in front of the town hall, hidden in a small green flowerbed. Behind this small bronze statue, set into a concrete wall, lies an intriguing legend.  

Some facts at a glance
Designer: Richard Groenen
When: 1985
Why: the sculptor designed the statue following a successful production of * Zwarte Kaat * by the Bladel theatre company. 

Discover her story
Zwarte Kaat is the main character in a local legend that has been passed down for generations. Around four hundred years ago, she is said to have lived at Helleneind, a hamlet on the heath between Bladel and Hulsel. With her thin lips and pointed hawk-like nose, she looked like a witch. This is exactly how the sculptor Groenen depicted her, sitting with her hands on her knees.  Zwarte Kaat , with her band of robbers, plundered farms and churches and struck terror into de Kempen. No one was safe. Even a newborn baby was snatched. Ultimately, the cunning hag could not escape her punishment and was beheaded for her deeds. The story goes that she was buried on the heath. Instead of a cross, a beech tree was planted. It grew into a magnificent tree with the most whimsical shapes – the Witches’ Tree – and can still be admired today in the woods on the landgoed Ten Vorsel estate. 

Another interesting fact
: The haunted tree with the vivid legend of ‘ Zwarte Kaat ’ has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, this ancient beech tree was named Tree of the Year. 

To the walking route: Bladel through the ages