The trail, which opened Nov. 12, extends between Eindhoven and Neunen, areas where Van Gogh spent part of his life. The trail's opening marks the launch of the International Van Gogh 2015 year, which will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the artist's death. The design took eight months with construction taking place in over 10 days by Heijmans, a Dutch building company.
The stones are polished with smart coatings that charge throughout the daytime and light the trail at night for up to eight hours. A solar panel is also used to charge the trail on days when there is little sunlight. The stones were placed within wet cement that once dry was polished and brushed to ensure a smooth ride for cyclists.
"Roosegaarde is all about connecting worlds of poetry and pragmatism. Here he got inspired by the cultural history of Van Gogh, but at the same time wants to connect this to the future, to make energy-neutral and poetic landscapes," said Studio Roosegaarde in an email.
The path is a part of Smart Highway, a project collaboration between Roosegaarde and Heijmans that aims to make roads and highways more sustainable and provide smart coating to light them for drivers at night.
Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Holland. He painted "The Starry Night" in 1889 while living inside an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France. He committed suicide in July 1890 two months after his release, according to the Van Gogh Gallery.
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