A Vacation in Eindhoven

Eindhoven, famous by being the birth town of the Philips Company, is a city and a municipality located towards the southern area of the Netherlands, within the province of Noord Brabant. This city is close to several other interesting towns, such as, for example, Waalre, Nuenen, Son en Breugel, Oirschot, Veldhoven, and Geldrop Mierlo, among others.

When they travel to Eindhoven, tourists can meet a very exciting city full of interesting activities and attractions. This city allows visitors to enjoy a vacation full of varied activities, due to the fact that it counts with interesting antique constructions, unique cultural buildings, and a very attractive night life. Besides this, while being in Eidenhoven, visitors can also easily visit a wide amount of other cities, including Amsterdam and The Hague, among many others.

Despite of the fact that it was inhabited since much earlier, Eindhoven first got its city rights in the 13th century, during the year 1232. When it was officially recognized as a city, Eidenhoven had about 200 houses surrounded by a wall as well as a castle located outside of the enclosed area. Towards the year 1390, the fortifications of the city were strengthened, and a new Castle was built. Around the year 1485, the city was attacked and burned causing such damage that it had to be almost entirely re built.

The Industrial Revolution marked a very important moment in the life of Eindhoven. Since that moment, this city started growing at a very fast pace, and many roads, railroads and canals were built facilitating the communication and commerce with other cities and countries. After that, several new industries and companies settled in the city, among which we can name, for example, textile industries, tobacco companies, and the world wide famous Philips Company, among many others.

There is a very large amount of interesting spots and constructions to meet in Eindhoven. One of these places is the Van Abbemuseum, a museum where visitors can meet works by Chagall and Picasso as well as many other contemporary and modern art work pieces. Besides this, tourists can also meet the Wilhemina square, the town Market, the Dommelstraat, and the Stratumseind.

A great moment for having a vacation in this destination is during spring and summer time. During those seasons, this city offers several attractive festivals and activities, such as the Virus Festival, the Fiesta del Sol, and the Jazz in Lighttown Festival. The name of this last festival is in allusion to the nickname this town has, "the city of lights", which was given to it by being the home town of the Philips company.

It might be interesting to know that Eindhoven was the birth town of several important people. Among these people, we can name, for example, the writer Hugo Brandt Corstius, the film director Jan de Bont, the businessman Frits Philips, the musician Peter Koelewijn, the basketball player Rik Smits, the swimmer Klaas Erik Zwering, the siccer player Philip Cocu, the hockey player Rob Reckers, the singer Lenny Kuhr, and the tennis player Paul Haarhuis.