Although Vincent has been living in Nuenen for some time, he does not appear to be officially registered as a resident. According to the books he is still living in The Hague, where he apparently did not deregister. During an official check on March 29, 1884, it is noticed that Vincent no longer lives at the Haagse Schenkweg. It takes until October 11, 1884 before the registration in Nuenen is complete.
Initially Vincent did not think he would stay long in the village of Brabant, and so far he has not registered at any place of residence. Just before leaving for Drenthe, he wrote on September 10, 1883: "I have provided myself with a domestic passport, valid for 12 months. With it I have the right to go where I want and to stay in any place as long and as short as it pleases me.' Perhaps he considers a registration in Nuenen unnecessary now that he can still use the passport. In any case, the distance to the town hall was no obstacle: located diagonally opposite the parsonage, it was a place he passed daily.
The building on the Berg was built in 1874 to a design by the overseer Arnoldus van der Korput and served as the town hall until 1953. Since 2010, the building has housed the Van Gogh Village Museum: a museum about Vincent van Gogh, the period he spent in the village, and the creation of his first masterpiece the Potato Eaters.
Vincent's deregistration from the municipality of Nuenen would go smoothly two years later. On Tuesday, November 24, 1885, he left for Antwerp; the day before he had already deregistered from the municipal register. Vincent would leave his native country with the intention of returning and therefore it is sufficient that he only takes a "removal note" with him to Antwerp. From Paris he writes on September 1, 1887 to the mayor of Nuenen, Johannes van Hombergh, that in the meantime his travel plans have changed. He wants to register in Paris and therefore still asks for an 'inland passport'.
This historic building now houses the Van Gogh Village Museum.
