Before the industrial revolution, Eindhoven was primarily an agricultural and rural region. It consisted of small villages and farms, with limited economic activity.
In the Middle Ages, Eindhoven began to develop as a market town due to its location along important trade routes. The establishment of a small settlement around a monastery in the 13th century laid the foundation for the future city.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, Eindhoven experienced some industrial growth, with industries such as textile production, brewing, and pottery emerging. However, the scale of industrialization was relatively limited compared to what would come later.
Eindhoven’s fortunes changed significantly in the 19th century when industrialization took hold. The city witnessed the rise of various industries, including textiles, tobacco, and matches. This period of industrial growth laid the groundwork for the city’s later transformation into a major industrial center.
By the late 19th century, Eindhoven had become a bustling industrial city, attracting workers from surrounding rural areas. The population grew rapidly, and the city began to expand both economically and geographically.
The arrival of the Philips Company in 1891 marked a turning point in Eindhoven’s history. The company’s focus on light bulb manufacturing and subsequent technological innovations propelled Eindhoven into the forefront of the electrical and electronics industry.
What you need to know about Eindhoven is that it consists of 5 villages that slowly but surely became the city of Eindhoven: Woensel, Tongelre, Stratum, Gestel and Strijp.
243.000
Eindhoven has around 243.000 inhabitants, making it the fifth city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam (922K), Rotterdam (664K), The Hague (562K) and Utrecht (368K).
Smartest city
The Eindhoven region is known for its hightech industry, giving it the official name of Brainport. Eindhoven won the award for smartest city in the world in 2016 but lost that title when Sjoerd moved back to the city recently.
Philips
Eindhoven is known for Philips, who started their Light and Electronics adventure here. Philips moved its headquarters to Amsterdam in the 90’s, but its history is still visible in many places in the city.
Glow
Every year a light festival is organised in Eindhoven, called GLOW. You should come and see it! Preview below
ASML
Philips founded ASML, the producer of machines to produce computerchips using Extreme UV Nanotechnology. ASML is based in Veldhoven, just outside Eindhoven
PSV
Eindhoven is also known for PSV – The Philips Sportvereniging. Although PSV has not won the championship for quite a while it is part of the classic top 3 in NL. We won the Europa Cup I in 1988 by the way…
Design
The third thing you need to know about Eindhoven is that we have become famous for Dutch Design. This is thanks to the presence of the Design Academy and the yearly Dutch Design Week event, which is organised every year and attracts design lovers from all over the world. Famous Eindhoven designers are: Maarten Baas, Piet Hein Eek, Kiki and Joost and Studio Job
Dance
What else? Eindhoven has produced a number of famous house DJs. What is now Grand Cafe Plein4 used to be home of the extravagant Danssalon club. We love house music and famous DJs like Showtek, Fedde Legrand and Marco V started their careers in Eindhoven