Home > Introduction to the Eindhoven Region

Introducing the Eindhoven Region

What does the "Eindhoven region" mean to you? Most foreigners will already know all about the multinational electronics giant, Philips, and Eindhoven's renowned football team, PSV, one of Europe's best. Culture buffs may also be aware of the Van Abbe contemporary art museum, which has an outstanding international reputation, or the Design Academy Eindhoven, renowned as one of the world's best design schools. But the Eindhoven region also has far more to offer every new resident. Eindhoven is a green city, and is a thriving regional hub with a fine choice of restaurants, bars, shops and culture venues. Café terraces are popular places to sit and watching the world go by. And the surrounding area is dotted with picturesque villages and there are plenty of forests for those who want a taste of the countryside.

A short history of the Eindhoven region.

The site on which Eindhoven stands is the location of one of the oldest settlements in the Netherlands, with a history that stretches back some 2500 years. The city of Eindhoven is one of the oldest in the Netherlands, and was granted its town charter in 1232 by the Duke of Brabant. At the time ‘Endehoven' consisted of around 170 houses and a castle. Over the centuries however, Eindhoven's position located on key trade routes made it a target of enemy armies, and it was burned to the ground on several occasions.

During the Dutch Revolt against Philip II of Spain, Eindhoven changed hands several times. The city eventually became part of the Netherlands in 1629. During the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, Eindhoven began to grow as the textile and cigar industries flourished. But the real boom began when Philips founded their first light bulb factory in the city in 1891.

In the following decades, Philips grew into one of Europe's largest companies, and Eindhoven's position as an important manufacturing centre became firmly established with the arrival of car and truck manufacturer Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek (DAF) in the 1920s. Unprecedented growth at the led to the annexation of the neighbouring villages: Woensel, Gestel, Strijp, Tongelre and Stratum are all now districts of Eindhoven.

Fourteen kilometres east of Eindhoven, Helmond is - with a population of 86,000 - the region's second largest city. Like its neighbour, it also received its town charter in 1232, and grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution - Helmond's population trebled in the first three decades of the 20th century. The depression of the 1930s and the Second World War saw the local economy - which was heavily dependent on the textile industry - go into steep decline, but prosperity returned in the post war years. The city expanded in 1968, absorbing parts of Aarle-Rixtel, Someren, Bakel, Stiphout, Mierlo and Deurne. In the 1970s the local textile and metal industries were going through a tough period, and to help it survive Helmond was declared a "growth city" in 1976. The town seized this chance to renew itself, and this has had a positive impact on the business community. Approximately 2,200 companies are currently established there, providing work for 30,000 people.

The region's turbulent recent history is mirrored in the appearance of the cities. Buildings and factories dating from the twenties and thirties stand next to contemporary office blocks for IT and service sector companies. Despite its industrial heritage and recent growth, the Eindhoven region has managed to stay a friendly place to live with a village-like atmosphere. Even the city of Eindhoven is surprisingly green, with large areas preserved as parkland. The area around Eindhoven and Helmond is an attractive network of villages and natural scenery, with plenty of forest and heath land between the traditional farms, making for a pleasant escape from city life. It all shows that a high tech city and a rural area can go hand in hand.

Eindhoven is widely appreciated throughout the provinces of Brabant and Limburg for the range and quality of its shopping and cultural facilities. See Section 4.5 for more detailed information.

Brainport

The Eindhoven region, or southeast Brabant (one of the 12 provinces in the Netherlands), has transformed since the late 19th century from a mainly rural area to a strongly industrial one, and new technology has long been its trademark. One of the initial driving forces for this was Philips, now one of the world's biggest electronics companies. Started in Eindhoven as a lighting producer, by 1925 Philips was involved with the first experiments in television and radio. Philips Research in the 1970s made key breakthroughs in the processing, storage and transmission of images, sound and data, which led amongst other things to the invention of the Compact Disc. The region's reputation for high-tech activities has attracted new companies to invest here, and former Philips concerns have also grown into independent companies such as ASML and FEI. Eindhoven's Technical University, founded in 1956, has also contributed to this economic development.

As a result of its international reputation for cutting-edge R&D, the Eindhoven region has become known as ‘Brainport', a recognised hotspot within the Southeast Netherlands' top technology zone. Brainport encompasses 21 municipalities around Eindhoven, which between them are home to 725,000 people and 355,000 jobs. Annual growth here is well above the national average.

Location

On a European scale, Eindhoven is an important crossroads. Other Dutch cities such as Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Maastricht are all within 1.5 hours by train or car, and cities in neighbouring countries such as Brussels, Antwerp, Aachen, and Düsseldorf are similarly close at hand. Looking further afield, Eindhoven's fast-developing regional airport means that destinations such as Paris, Milan, Barcelona, London, and Rome are all within easy reach.

Key facts:

Eindhoven is the largest city in the southern Netherlands and the 5th largest in the country.
The Eindhoven region has over 725,000 inhabitants.
Eindhoven is a trend-setting centre of innovation and technology, which scores 4th on the EU's Lisbon index for innovation.
Eindhoven has a world-class Technical University, and the Design Academy Eindhoven.
40% of all R&D activities in the Netherlands take place in the Eindhoven region.
Eindhoven is sometimes referred to as ‘Light Town' - a reference to Philips Lighting.
The closest big cities are Antwerp (Belgium) and Düsseldorf (Germany). The Dutch capital Amsterdam is 125 km away.
Its location on major transport routes and the presence of an airport make the region an important crossroads.
Eindhoven is a city of sports: besides PSV's football team the area also excels in swimming and horse riding. There are excellent sports facilities, including swimming pools, hockey fields, ice rinks, an indoor ski and snowboard centre, a climbing wall, country clubs, and a spectacular golf course.
The cultural climate in the Eindhoven region is diverse - the Van Abbe museum is internationally recognised for its modern art collection.
Eindhoven has a deserved reputation throughout the region for the quality and diversity of its shopping facilities, from weekly markets to top designer boutiques.
Eindhoven is known for its ‘green' character and has many parks. The surrounding countryside is packed with nature reserves, cycling and hiking routes, and camping and holiday resorts.

Introduction

Introducing the Eindhoven Region

A short history of the Eindhoven region.

Brainport

Location

Key facts:

Useful links

http://www.vvveindhoven.nl/en/

Map of Eindhoven region