city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the Netherlands, in the southern
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...
. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after
Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Tilburg University
Tilburg University is a public university, public research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands.
Tilb ...
is located in Tilburg, as are
Avans University of Applied Sciences
Avans University of Applied Sciences ( nl, Avans Hogeschool) is a Dutch high ranked vocational university. It is located in three cities: Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg. The school has 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 18 institutes. Th ...
and
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Fontys University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch university of applied sciences with over 44,000 students in several campuses located in the southern Netherlands. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Tilburg ...
. Tilburg is known for its ten-day-long
funfair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
, held in July each year. The Monday during the funfair is called "Roze Maandag" (Pink Monday) and is primarily
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
-oriented.
There are three
railway stations
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...
within the municipality:
Tilburg
Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
, Tilburg Universiteit and Tilburg Reeshof. The "Spoorzone" area around Tilburg Central station, once a Dutch Railways train maintenance yard, has been purchased by the city and is being transformed into an urban zone.
History
Little is known about the beginnings of Tilburg. The name ''Tilliburg'' first appeared in documents dating from AD 709, but after that there was no mention for several centuries. In the later Middle Ages, Tilburg referred to a region rather than a particular town or village; its population was largely in a couple of hamlets, one of which was known as "Eastern Tilburg" (''Oost-Tilburg''), which was later reflected in the name ''Oisterwijk'' ("Eastern Quarter"). This village centred around a small (probably wooden) castle or ''Motteburcht'' on an equally small hill, which became derelict and was torn down after a few centuries at most. Of this first "Tilburg Castle", nothing remained c. 2000, except for a few remnants of its
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
in the suburbs of Oisterwijk. In the 14th century, Tilburg was proclaimed a manor; together with
Goirle
Goirle () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Part of the suburban area of the city of Tilburg, it shares with it its phone area code and public transport system.
The municipality also includes ...
, it acquired the title of "The Manor of Tilburg and Goirle".
Successively, the manorial rights fell into the hands of several lords of noble lineage. They derived their income from taxes,
fines Fines may refer to:
* Fines, Andalusia, Spanish municipality
* Fine (penalty)
* Fine, a dated term for a premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term
*Fines, ore or other products with a s ...
and
interest
In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distinct ...
paid by the villagers.
In the 15th century, one of the lords of Tilburg, Jan van Haestrecht, built Tilburg Castle. "That stone chamber at Hasselt" is mentioned in several historical documents. In 1858, however, the castle was pulled down to make way for a factory, but the name lives on, in the city arms and logo. A replica of the foundations of the castle was restored in ca. 1995 in its original location, after the factory was demolished. In 1803, Goirle was separated from Tilburg and on 18 April 1809, Tilburg was granted
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, city status ...
. In that year, it had about 9,000 inhabitants. In 2009 Tilburg hosted several festivities in celebration of 200 years as a city.
Wool capital of the Netherlands
Tilburg grew around one of the so-called "herd places" or "Frankish triangles", triangular plots where a number of roads (usually sand roads) met. These herd places were collective
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
lands for flocks of
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
. Their shape is still reflected in the layout of many places in Tilburg. Many districts, including Korvel, Oerle, Broekhoven, Hasselt, Heikant, De Schans, and Heuvel, bear the names of these old
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
. The poor farmers living in these hamlets soon decided not to sell the
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
from their
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
but to weave it themselves, and for a long time, much of the space inside their small houses was occupied by a
loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
—by the 17th century these numbered about 300. Enterprising people saw their chance. As so-called "drapers" they supplied the weavers with the raw materials for their "home working", and the first Tilburg "mill houses" came into existence. From then on, the wool industry underwent rapid growth, and in 1881 Tilburg had as many as 145 wool mills. Home weaving continued, however, until the early 20th century. Woollen textiles from Tilburg were known far and wide.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Tilburg retained its place as wool capital of the Netherlands, but in the 1960s the industry collapsed and by the 1980s the number of operating wool mills had declined. Present-day Tilburg industry consists of a wide variety of enterprises. The main economic sector has become transport and logistics with a variety of industry as a close second.
Urban renewal
When the wool industry collapsed in the 1960s, Cees Becht was the mayor of Tilburg. While he was in office, many old buildings were destroyed, including some precious monuments. The Koningswei neighbourhood (King's Meadows) was demolished and replaced by Koningsplein (King's Square). The reason for demolishing the neighbourhood was to replace slum with modern building. The new development, however, has not been successful and may feel that the square feels abandoned most of the year.
Considered even worse was the demolition of the old city hall. This classicistic-styled building was a national-registered monument, but even that didn't stop Becht's plans to demolish it to build the nine-storey, modern-day, black complex. A part of the empty area was used to build the system of the inner ''Cityring''.
Another building that was demolished was the old railway station, which was replaced due to ''Hoogspoor'' (literally: high rails), a project bringing the railway on viaducts to reduce traffic congestion in the years around 1960. The century-old station building was replaced by the modern one.
Because of all of this and some more parts of Tilburg, Cees Becht gained the dubious nickname ''Cees de Sloper'' (Cees the demolisher).
Modern history
In the 1980s, many locations, formerly occupied by wool factories had been filled with small-scale housing projects. This mostly happened when Henk Letschert was mayor of Tilburg.
The ''Heuvel'', one of the important squares, had its own
lime tree
''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain and Ireland they ...
until 27 April 1994, being chopped for a bicycle parking basement. The felling led to many protests, because the tree was still healthy. After the Pieter Vreedeplein reconstruction, plans were made to plant a descendant of the original lime tree. Three were placed, only one of them survived. The last living tree was moved to another location again, but died shortly after. As of 23 November 2011, no more descendants have been placed. The current one is just another lime tree.
In the 1990s Tilburg developed a modern skyline. Because of new policy three buildings were built, which are considered skyscrapers in the Netherlands. These are the
Interpolis
Interpolis is one of largest insurance companies in the Netherlands. The company has gained wide recognition with its advertising campaign ''"Interpolis.Crystal clear"''. Besides financial compensation, Interpolis also offers compensation in kind. ...
headquarters, the Westpoint Tower and StadsHeer. The Westpoint Tower has an altitude of and was the tallest residential tower in The Netherlands until the
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
in Rotterdam surpassed it. The 'StadsHeer' is the third one and is part of the 'Haestrechtkwartier' (Haestrecht quarter). The residential tower is nicknamed ''De Vogelkooikes'' (The Bird Cages) for its cubic balconies taped onto the building.
King William II
King William II (1792–1849) was fond of Tilburg. "Here I can breathe freely and I feel happy", he once said about the town. King William II always supported Tilburg—he provided money to improve the sheep breeding, built new farms and founded a
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
barracks on St. Joseph Street, now a monumental building of the City
Archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
s. Although the King was always made welcome by the manufacturers he had befriended, he needed his own residence in Tilburg, and commissioned the construction of a
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
, which would function as his country residence. Construction started in 1847 and was completed just days before William II died, in 1849. It is now part of Tilburg City Hall. In 1987 an
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
was erected nearby, in memory of King William II. It replaced the old "needle" dating from 1874, which was removed from the street in 1968. After its restoration, William II's statue has got a place again in the heart of the city, where he felt happy among its inhabitants. The local football club Willem II Tilburg was named after the king.
Topography
Tilburg Centrum
Tilburg Centrum is the downtown of Tilburg, and is situated between (clockwise) the Spoorlaan, Heuvelring, Paleisring, Schouwburgring and Noordhoekring, which is the same as the order of the one-way roads around the district. The district has 6,572 inhabitants, and most of the shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes of the city. In 2008, the refurbished Pieter Vreedeplein was opened to the public, addressing a lack of shopping facilities as compared to similar-sized cities in the Netherlands. Two smaller cinemas were replaced by a bigger one on the Pieter Vreedeplein in 2007. Despite being called ''Centrum'', the district is some distance southeast of the geographical center. The district is connected by the
Tilburg railway station
Tilburg railway station is a railway station located in Tilburg in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. The station was opened on 5 October 1863 and is located on the Breda–Eindhoven railway and Tilburg–Nijmegen railway. The train servi ...
.
Oud-Noord
Oud-Noord is situated north of the railway that crosses Tilburg, and between the ''Ringbanen'' (ring roads around the city center). The district has 33,915 inhabitants. Contemporary arts museum '' De Pont'' is located within the district. When the railway marshalling yard belonging to the
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...
became obsolete, a considerable stretch of the railway across the city, the '' Spoorzone'', became an
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
project. New premises for two courses run by
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Fontys University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch university of applied sciences with over 44,000 students in several campuses located in the southern Netherlands. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Tilburg ...
will be located here, as will Tilburg's new central library, replacing the library in Koningsplein. The railway yard is the largest area, though more areas along the railway will be reconstructed.
Oud-Zuid
Oud-Zuid is a district south, and also west and east of downtown Tilburg. The district has 38,659 inhabitants. , all the 'skyscrapers' of Tilburg, higher than are located within the district. The ''Hart van Brabantlaan'' is almost surrounded by high buildings like Westpoint Tower and the StadsHeer as a small part of the
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
. This area along the railway is partly located in ''Oud-Zuid''. Many important locations in Tilburg are located within the district, just out of the center, such as 013 music venue and the Schouwburg built in 1961. Also the Koningsplein with the main library and the Piushaven are located within the district. Old herd places include Korvel, Broekhoven and Oerle.
Noord
Tilburg-Noord is located north of the
Wilhelmina Canal
The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in North-Brabant, Netherlands. It connects Tilburg to the Meuse, and continues to the east to connect to the Zuid-Willemsvaart north of Helmond.
Characteristics
The Wilhelmina Canal runs from the Zuid-Willemsva ...
. The district has 23,340 inhabitants. Tilburg-Noord was built in the period 1966–1974. Therefore, it has many apartment buildings up to 16 floors, drive-in houses, green strips and industrial development. The streets in this district are mostly named after musicians from the Renaissance up to pop artists from the 1960s. The main shopping center is Wagnerplein, while there's also the Verdiplein in Stokhasselt. The one at the Tartinistraat became defunct. Before the district was built, it was mainly an agricultural area attached to a few villages, including Heikant, which is still the name of the biggest neighbourhood. Heikant's former village square, including the old church, is still present. The northernmost part of the district is still agricultural with some forests. In this agricultural area, the blessed
Peter Donders
Petrus Norbertus Donders (27 October 1809 – 14 January 1887) was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest and member of the Redemptorist Congregation. He served in various missions in the Dutch colony of Surinam. He started working in the capital Param ...
was born; there still stands a chapel and a procession park.
Oost
Tilburg-oost consists of primarily industrial development. Residential neighbourhoods are in a small strip east of the Ringbaan Oost rather than the whole district, however, it is not considered as a part of the city center. The district only has 748 inhabitants.
Zuid
Tilburg-Zuid is located between the A58 motorway and the Ringbaan Zuid, and is the southernmost district. Tilburg-zuid has 19,149 inhabitants. The district contains two neighbourhoods and many businesses. The
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club Willem II is located within the district, as well as the ice-skating rink with a
speed skating rink A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink in which a speed skating competition is held.
The rink
A standard long track speed skating track is, according to the regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU), a double-laned t ...
, the Ireen Wüst IJsbaan, which is located here. The main campus of
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Fontys University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch university of applied sciences with over 44,000 students in several campuses located in the southern Netherlands. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Tilburg ...
is located in this district, as well as St. Elisabeth hospital and Leijpark, one of the largest public parks in the city.
West
Tilburg-west was mostly built after WWII, and has 26,655 inhabitants. The district with its neighbourhoods consists mostly of small brick houses and apartment buildings, except for Zorgvlied, which contains more expensive, free-standing houses. The Westermarkt is the largest shopping center out of the inner city. Many higher educational buildings are standing here, like
Tilburg University
Tilburg University is a public university, public research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands.
Tilb ...
and
Avans
Avans University of Applied Sciences ( nl, Avans Hogeschool) is a Dutch high ranked vocational university. It is located in three cities: Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg. The school has 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 18 institutes. Th ...
Hogeschool. Another place of many schools is along the Reitse Hoevenstraat with multiple secondary schools such as: Jozefmavo and Theresialyceum. The district is connected by train with the
Tilburg Universiteit railway station
Tilburg Universiteit (English: Tilburg University) is a railway station located in Tilburg, Netherlands. It is situated on the Breda–Eindhoven railway. Opened as ''Tilburg West'' in 1969, it was renamed after the nearby Tilburg University in 2010 ...
, Previously known as "Tilburg West station" and has one of the two hospitals in Tilburg (). The largest mosque of Tilburg, the Turkish Süleymaniye-Mosque built in 2001, stands in the southeastern corner of the district. West is surrounded by forests like ''Wandelbos'' and the ''Oude Warande'', located west of the university.
Reeshof
The Reeshof is the westernmost district and the most recent expansion of the city of Tilburg proper. and has a population of 42,994 inhabitants. Because of this, the Reeshof became the largest district of Tilburg by population. The first houses were completed in 1980, in the neighbourhood Gesworen Hoek. , the last neighbourhood (Koolhoven Buiten) is under construction. The district is connected by the
Tilburg Reeshof railway station
Tilburg Reeshof is a railway station located in the Reeshof in Tilburg, Netherlands. It is situated on the Breda–Eindhoven railway. The station was opened on 14 December 2003. The train services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Train ser ...
and multiple roads that encircle the district plus the industrial development Vossenberg north of the Wilhelmina Canal.
The Donge runs through the district, including greenspace with some Highland cattle grazing between the fences protecting the surrounding neighbourhoods. This small-scale nature project is called the Dongevallei, which literally means Donge Valley in English.
Villages of Berkel-Enschot, Biezenmortel, and Udenhout
Demographics
Ethnic makeup
The population of Tilburg was 222,601 on 1 July 2021. According to the Tilburg city council, the city will reach a population of 217,000 by 2025. Of these, 23.3% (47,964 people) are of foreign descent. People are classified as being of foreign descent when they were born outside of the Netherlands, or when at least one of their parents was born outside of the Netherlands.
Religion and life stances
The Tilburg agglomeration has the following religious makeup as of 2003:
*
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
(60.7%)
*
Atheism
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...
(21.7%)
*
Dutch Reformed
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family an ...
(7.8%)
*
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(4.8%)
*
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
(4.4%)
Geography
Climate
Tilburg experiences an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Cfb'') similar to almost all of the Netherlands. Thunderstorms occur in Western Brabant more often than anywhere else in the Netherlands, up to 31 days a year.
Economy
The economy was concentrated on
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
industry for centuries, however, since the 1960s, Tilburg has made more progress in having different kinds of industries, supported by the government to save the city from poverty after the decline of wool industry. Chemical company
IFF
In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false.
The connective is bicon ...
has a factory in Tilburg. In the 1980s, the Japanese company
Fujifilm
, trading as Fujifilm, or simply Fuji, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the realms of photography, optics, office and medical electronics, biotechnology, and chemicals.
The offerings from th ...
came to Tilburg. Insurance companies like
Interpolis
Interpolis is one of largest insurance companies in the Netherlands. The company has gained wide recognition with its advertising campaign ''"Interpolis.Crystal clear"''. Besides financial compensation, Interpolis also offers compensation in kind. ...
and CZ are headquartered in Tilburg, as well.
Iris Ohyama
is a Japanese consumer plastic manufacturer based in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. It is the leading storage organization manufacturer in Japan. The company designs and manufactures products aimed at the fu ...
has its European offices in Tilburg. Since 2013, the electric car-producing company Tesla operates their main EU facility for assembly and distribution in Europe in the industrial area of Vossenberg north of the suburb "De Reeshof" in Tilburg.
Tilburg has a high concentration of transportation/distribution industries, specializing in value added logistics and services, due to being the geographical center of the
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...
countries and being located on the transport corridor between Antwerp / Rotterdam and the Ruhr area. The 'Waalwijk-Tilburg' region has been in the logistics hotspots top 3 within the Netherlands for years now and finished third in 2017.
Education
Tilburg University
Higher education is of significant importance, with
Tilburg University
Tilburg University is a public university, public research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands.
Tilb ...
attracting scholars from all over the world. It has a student population of about 13,000 students, about 8 per cent of whom are international students. With well-facilitated Library, museums and city center with many pubs and cafes, this percentage has steadily increased over the past years. TiU offers both Dutch-taught and English-taught programmes. Tilburg is one of the best cities for exchange students to have great experience in the Netherlands. It is a perfect city for students to work, mingle, get to know each other and make friends.
The institution has gained a reputation in both research and education. In the field of economics, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration ranked No. 1 in Europe for the second consecutive time in 2007 according to the Journal of the European Economic Association with regard to publications in top journals.
In 2007 the Executive MBA program at the university's TiasNimbas Business School ranked # 11 in the world according to the ''Financial Times''. In the field of law, Tilburg University was ranked No. 1 in the Netherlands for the last three years according to ''Elsevier'' magazine.
Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts
Tilburg is also the location of the
Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts
The Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (Dutch: ''Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten - FHK'') is a Dutch vocational university of the arts located in Tilburg, part of the Fontys Hogescholen. The School originated from the merging of vario ...
(Dutch: ''Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten'' - ''FHK''), part of the Fontys Hogescholen. The School originated from the merging of various educational institutions that had existed in different capacity in Tilburg before being united under the Fontys group, such as the Brabants Conservatorium, one of the nine conservatoires in the Netherlands, and the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming.
Fontys School of Arts offers various
bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
and
master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
programmes in English and in Dutch, across different fields in
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
,
visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
and
performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
This institution is based in a building known as 'Kunstkluster', located in the centre of the city next to the Schouwburg and incorporating a Concert Hall.
Culture and recreation
Tilburg is a pilot city of the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
and the EU Intercultural Cities programme.
Beverages
Schrobbelèr
Schrobbelèr is a Dutch herbal liqueur, made by Jonkers Distillers B.V. (Tilburg). In the United States and Australia it is sold under the brand name Jans because English speaking people have great difficulty with the pronunciation of the consonan ...
is a local liqueur. It has an alcoholic percentage of 21.5%, slightly lower than most
bitters
Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are ...
and has a relatively sweet flavour. The drink is sold in a stone jar and is drunk cold from own glass, a high and tiny chalice glass, larger than a
Jägermeister
( , ; stylized Jägermeiſter) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation ...
glass.
The drink originated in 1973 when Tilburgian entrepreneur Jan Wassing started experimenting with a drink with lower
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
ic percentage that was appropriate for his stomach. The result was successful. The drink is distilled now at Loven industrial area in Tilburg by the
Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
. The name is derived from the profession of 'Schrobbelaar', in the textile industry in Tilburg. The profession was unskilled and had a low wage.
Another known drink from Tilburg is Peerke's Nat, which has a higher alcoholic percentage than Schrobbelèr (25%) and was introduced at the
beatification
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
of
Peter Donders
Petrus Norbertus Donders (27 October 1809 – 14 January 1887) was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest and member of the Redemptorist Congregation. He served in various missions in the Dutch colony of Surinam. He started working in the capital Param ...
trappist beer
Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks. Thirteen Trappist monasteries—six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France, and Spain—currently produce beer, but the ''Authentic Trappist Product'' label ...
. It was founded in 1884 at
Koningshoeven Abbey
Koningshoeven Abbey ( nl, Abdij Koningshoeven, Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven) is a monastery of the Trappists (Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance) founded in 1881 in Berkel-Enschot in North Brabant, the Netherlands.
Fou ...
.
Open air art
Tilburg's open air art is mostly supported by KORT (Kunst in Open Ruimte Tilburg, Dutch for Art in Open Space Tilburg). One example is the turning house on the Hasseltrotonde, a roundabout, was erected in 2008.
Besides being responsible for newer, modern art, KORT also gives information about older works of art, like the Willem II statue on the Heuvel.
Festival city, music
The city of Tilburg hosts many festivals, such as Incubate, ''Festival Mundial'' (world culture), Stranger Than Paranoia (jazz), Tilburg Students Festival, and
Roadburn Festival
Roadburn Festival is an international music festival held in Tilburg, Netherlands every April since 1999. It was set up as a spin-off from the Roadburn music blog founded by Jurgen van den Brand and Walter Hoeijmakers. Originally focused on stone ...
. ''013'' is a modern pop-centre. Paradox is a club for experimental jazz and improvised music. Fontys University of Applied Sciences started a pop academy in the beginning of the 21st century, and students often perform on local stages.
Museums
Tilburg has an outstanding museum of Modern Art, De Pont, which houses works from renowned artists such as
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
,
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK ...
and
Richard Serra
Richard Serra (born November 2, 1938) is an American artist known for his large-scale sculptures made for site-specific landscape, urban, and architectural settings. Serra's sculptures are notable for their material quality and exploration o ...
. There is also a large textile museum, offering not only a historical view in its former factory, but also a laboratory for design, production and development of textile as a material.
The Textile Museum: A Museum in a restored factory with striking glass entrance, for industrial & designer textiles. Tilburg has traditionally had a rich textile industry. The traces of this form of industry can be found in various places in the city.
De Pont, The museum of Modern Art located in Tilburg. De Pont houses works from renowned artists such as
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
,
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK ...
and
Richard Serra
Richard Serra (born November 2, 1938) is an American artist known for his large-scale sculptures made for site-specific landscape, urban, and architectural settings. Serra's sculptures are notable for their material quality and exploration o ...
. The museum is housed in a former wool mill, an important piece of Tilburg's history. The artwork 'Skymirror' is displayed on the square in front of the museum. A work by Anish Kapoor.
Nature Museum Brabant: The Museum is dedicated to natural history. The museum was housed in the former intendant residence of King Willem II.
The collection of Natuurmuseum Brabant consists of stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes, animals "on strong water", dried plants, stones, minerals, fossils and archaeological objects.
Museum Scryption: This was a former museum in Tilburg with the main theme 'written communication'.
SEA Foundation Tilburg
SEA Foundation is a Dutch non-profit, artist-led organisation in Tilburg, The Netherlands established in 2013. SEA Foundation provides residencies for artistic research, experimentation, and production out of which an ongoing public programme e ...
: an internationally oriented art foundation, exhibition space and artist residence for artists, writers and curators.
Citymuseum Tilburg
The collection that Stadsmuseum Tilburg manages falls into the Tilburg City Collection. In addition, it manages the Memory of Tilburg with more than 4400 stories.
The tilburg city museum does not have a fixed location, but operates, among other things, in the Peerke Donders Pavilion and Vincent's Drawing Room.
*Vincent's drawing room: In Vincent's Drawing Room you will find a museum room where the authentic room of
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
has been recreated and a modern drawing room with drawing computers. Vincent van Gogh lived and studied several years in Tilburg. The house where he lived can't be visited. The square where the house is located has been redesigned in the Van Gogh style.
*Peerke Donders Pavilion: A museum for charity, in honor of Petrus Donders.
Parks and forests
A lot of parks and forests provide people from the Tilburg area with recreation. Leijpark and Reeshofpark are the largest among the parks in Tilburg. Leijpark was famous for
Festival Mundial
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
and lies next to St. Elisabeth hospital and a monastery, the Cenakel. Reeshofpark was created in the late 1990s, including some restaurants opened in 2011. Some older parks include Wilhelminapark in Oud-Noord, are built on the square of the former herd place Veldhoven. Tilburg offers, in comparison to other top-ten cities in the Netherlands, the most forest area. In the municipality, Tilburg has the Wandelbos, a forest south of the similarly named neighbourhood in Tilburg-West, the Oude Warande, the Kaaistoep, a forest of 4.5 km2, and partially, Huis Ter Heide in the northwest of Tilburg, a 6.5 km2-sized natural redevelopment area. Out of the municipality, there's a national park called
Loonse en Drunense Duinen
De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park ''(duinen = dunes)'' is a national park situated in the south of the Netherlands, between the cities of Tilburg, Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch. It has been designated as a national park since 2002. It is ...
which includes dunes of drift sand from the west coast.
Sports
The local football team is Willem II, named in remembrance of King William II.
Tilburg Ten Miles is an annual road running competition held in Tilburg.
Students' sports like rowing and hockey are popular as well. Tilburg hosts three field hockey clubs that play in top national leagues.
Tilburg has an ice skating rink, including the 400 m
speed skating rink A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink in which a speed skating competition is held.
The rink
A standard long track speed skating track is, according to the regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU), a double-laned t ...
Ireen Wüst IJsbaan. Within the speed skating rink there's an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
field. The hockey team
Tilburg Trappers
The Tilburg Trappers are a professional ice hockey club based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. They previously played in the highest level ice hockey league in the country, but have been playing in the German Oberliga Nord since the 2015-16 season. ...
dominated the Eredivisie (Dutch Premier League) for years before moving to the Oberliga, the third tier of ice hockey in Germany.
Reeshof
The Reeshof (also known as Tilburg Reeshof), is a district of the municipality Tilburg in the Netherlands.
The district has 42,696 inhabitants, which makes the Reeshof the largest district of Tilburg. The Reeshof mostly consists of new-built house ...
. Intercity trains only stop at Tilburg (centraal). The name of Tilburg Universiteit Station was Tilburg West from its construction in 1968 to December 2010, however, after 40 years, it was not the westernmost station anymore. A fourth railway station is planned for
Berkel-Enschot
Berkel-Enschot is a Dutch village, located in the municipality of Tilburg in the North Brabant province which borders Belgium.
Geography
Berkel-Enschot is located between Tilburg and Oisterwijk. Surrounding towns and hamlets are Brem, Heikant, He ...
, also in the municipality of Tilburg and getting more absorbed into Tilburg. In the past, until 1938, Berkel-Enschot had its own train station.
Udenhout
Udenhout is a village and a former municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located northeast of Tilburg, north of Berkel-Enschot and south of the National Parc Loonse en Drunense Duinen.
The municipality of Udenhout (includi ...
, lying further northeast in the municipality, also had its train station until 1938. Both stations are on the line to 's-Hertogenbosch.
The Tilburg city and local buses are operated by
Veolia Transport Nederland
Veolia Transport Nederland was one of the two Transdev operations in the Netherlands operating bus, train and ferry services. It was a subsidiary of Transdev Netherlands. It ceased in December 2016 with the remaining operations rebranded as Conn ...
. The city experimented from 2005 to 2008 with free public transport for children and 55+ people. Before Veolia took over the bus network, it was operated by BBA (abbreviation for Brabants(ch)e Buurtspoorwegen en Autobussen). It has since been transferred to Arriva.
Tilburg has an extensive
bicycle path
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...
network called Sternet-Routes. The first bicycle path of this network was built between the city center and the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in 1975. From the mid-1990s, multiple bicycle paths (rather than lanes along the road) have been built. Since most of these have been paved by tiles, there is an increasing call for asphalt-paved paths. For this network of bicycle paths, some new tunnels were built under the railway that crosses the city.
Tilburg is, at variance from other Dutch cities of a similar size, connected by only one national motorway, the A58 / E312 (to Breda and Eindhoven). An outer beltway, consisting of two provincial 2x2-roads and the A58, was finished in May 2012. Although the outer beltway is fully navigable, the Burgemeester Bechtweg, which was built initially as a two-lane (one per direction) road, was finished in 2013. Two other routes are of considerable importance for Tilburg: the A261/N261 to
Waalwijk
Waalwijk () is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of in and is located near the motorways A59 and N261. The villages of Capelle, Vrijhoeve-Capelle, Sprang (the former municipality of Sprang-Capelle) and W ...
and the A65/N65 to
's-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
. Neither is a complete motorway, and both experience bottlenecks. Various plans exist to build both to higher standards, with the N261 improved in 2015.
Changzhou
Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...
, China
*
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...
, Poland
*
Matagalpa
Matagalpa () is a city in Nicaragua which is the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 111,258 (2021 estimate),Minamiashigara, Japan
* Same, Tanzania
Notable people from Tilburg
The Arts
* brothers
Gerard van Spaendonck
Gerard van Spaendonck (22 March 1746 – 11 May 1822) was a Dutch painter.
Life
Gerard was born in Tilburg, an older brother of Cornelis van Spaendonck (1756–1840), who was also an accomplished artist. In the 1760s he studied with decorative p ...
(1746–1822) &
Cornelis van Spaendonck
Cornelis van Spaendonck (7 December 1756 – 22 December 1839) was a Dutch painter who was a native of Tilburg.
Spaendonck initially worked under artist Guillaume-Jacques Herreyns (1743–1827) in Antwerp, and in 1773 moved to Paris to stu ...
(1756–1839) Dutch painters
* brother & sister Joseph August Knip (1777–1847) &
Henriëtte Geertruida Knip
Henriëtte Geertruida Knip (19 July 1783 – 29 May 1842) was a flower painter from the Northern Netherlands.
Knip was born in Tilburg as the daughter of the painter Nicolaas Frederik Knip. After her father went blind, she followed lessons ...
(1783–1842) painters
*
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
(1853–1890) attended the King Willem II school, where he was taught painting
*
Ludolph Berkemeier
Ludolph Georg Julius Berkemeier (20 August 1864, Tilburg - 18 July 1930, Noordwijk) was a Dutch landscape and cityscape painter; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule and the Hague School.
Biography
For two years, he attended the Kuns ...
(1864-1930) a Dutch landscape and cityscape painter
* Sir Bernardus Weber (1912-1996) a Dutch sculptor, draughtsman, and pastellist
*
Theo l' Herminez
Theodorus "Theo" Gerardus l'Herminez (1921-1997) was a Dutch painter.
He was given lessons in drawing by an artist from Tilburg and later studied at the ''Academie van Beeldende en Bouwende Kunsten'' in Tilburg from 1958–61, and some time pass ...
(1921–1997) a Dutch painter, moved from
impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
to
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
*
Frans de Kok
Frans de Kok (18 January 1924 – 4 May 2011) was a Dutch musician. He taught himself to play the piano, the accordion and the bass. In the 1940s and 1950s, he played and arranged music for the Joe Andy Orchestra, which toured the Netherlands, Wes ...
(1924–2011) a Dutch musician, conducted the winning Dutch entry to the
1969 Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 was the 14th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Madrid, Spain, following the country's victory at the with the song "La, la, la" by Massiel. Organised by the European Broadcasting U ...
*
Theo van de Sande
Theodorus Amandus Maria van de Sande (born 10 May 1947) is a Dutch cinematographer.
He graduated from the Netherlands Filmacademy in Amsterdam in 1970, and has been working as a cinematographer since 1972.
He won Golden Calf for Best Cinemat ...
(born 1947) cinematographer
*
Ruud Janssen
Ruud Janssen (born July 29, 1959 in Tilburg) is a Dutch Fluxus and mail artist currently living in Breda in the Netherlands.
Life and Work
Janssen studied physics and mathematics before he became active with mail art in 1980, doing several inter ...
(born 1959) a Dutch
fluxus
Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...
and
mail art
Mail art, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centered on sending small-scale works through the postal service. It initially developed out of what eventually became Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence Schoo ...
ist
*
Leonard Retel Helmrich
Leonard Retel Helmrich (16 August 1959 – 15 July 2023) was a Dutch cinematographer and film director. Born in Tilburg, he lived in Amsterdam since 1982. He received highest honours for international documentaries at the ''Sundance Festival'' a ...
(born 1959) a Dutch cinematographer and film director
*
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the ...
(born 1960) a Dutch singer, songwriter with
Ayreon
Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electro ...
and
Star One
Star One was an Indian pay television network based in Mumbai. It was launched on 1 November 2004 and was it owned by Star TV and distributed worldwide by Fox International Channels. In November 2006, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky.
S ...
*
Marc-Marie Huijbregts
Marc-Marie Huijbregts (born 21 December 1964) is a Dutch comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his cabaret shows and as co-host of the television show '' De Wereld Draait Door''. He is also known as jury member in the Flemish ...
(born 1964) a Dutch comedian, actor and TV presenter
*
Richard Rijnvos
Richard Rijnvos (born 16 December 1964, in Tilburg) is a Dutch composer.Richard Rijnvos Department of Mus ...
(born 1964) a Dutch composer
*
Guus Meeuwis
Gustaaf Stephanus Modestus "Guus" Meeuwis (born 23 March 1972) is a Dutch singer-songwriter. As part of the band Vagant, he scored several hits in the Netherlands and Flanders during the 1990s and first decade of the 2000s. On 24 May 2015, Meeuwi ...
(born 1972) a Dutch singer-songwriter, attended
Tilburg University
Tilburg University is a public university, public research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands.
Tilb ...
*
Ruud Jolie
Ruud Jolie (born Rudolf Adrianus Jolie on 19 April 1976 in Tilburg, Netherlands) is the lead guitarist of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation.
Early life
Ruud is an only child. Growing up, he first initiated himself to music by playing t ...
(born 1976) the lead guitarist of the
symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...
band
Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. They have been classified by critics as gothic metal and symphonic metal, although each album contains other inf ...
* Tarik Azzougarh (born 1979) stage name ''
Cilvaringz
Tarik Azzougarh ( ar, link=no, طارق أزوگاغ; born January 29, 1979), better known as his stage name Cilvaringz, is a Dutch-Moroccan record producer, rapper, and artist manager from Tilburg, North Brabant. He is associated with the Wu-Tan ...
'', rapper affiliated with
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
*
Joris Oprins Joris Oprins (born 1980, Tilburg) is an animation director. He studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He graduated in 2003. In 2005 he worked as an animator on the stop motion children series Miffy at studio Pedri in Ankeveen. ...
(born 1980) an animation director
*
Floor Jansen
Floor Jansen (; born 21 February 1981) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish.
Jansen first became known as a member of symphonic metal band After Forever, standing as their lead vo ...
(born 1981) a Dutch singer and songwriter with symphonic metal band
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...
* Daan Janzing (born 1981) producer and guitarist with the
Dark rock
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of lighting, illumination, an absence of visible spectrum, visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human visual perception, vision is unable to di ...
band ''
My Favorite Scar
My Favorite Scar was a Dutch dark rock band formed in 2008 by brothers Jeroen "Jay" (vocals) and Eef "Evan" van Riet (guitar), Patrick "Pat" de Kok (bass guitar) and Daan Janzing, Daan "Dan" Janzing (guitar).
The band disbanded in 2014 due to a ...
.''
Public thinking & Public Service
* Bl. Peerke Donders (1807–1887), Roman Catholic missionary, cared for the lepers of
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
,
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
; beatified in 1982
* dom Franciscus Janssens (1881–1950) the 76th General Abbot of the Common Observance
*
Carl Romme
Carl Paul Maria Romme (21 December 1896 – 16 October 1980) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA ...
(1896–1980) a Dutch politician and jurist
*
Norbert Schmelzer
Wilhelm Klaus Norbert Schmelzer (22 March 1921 – 14 November 2008) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and economist who served as Catholic People's Party, Leader of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) from 1963 to 1971 and List of Ministers of Fo ...
(1921–2008) a Dutch politician, diplomat, economist and Minister
*
Ernst Hirsch Ballin
Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin (born 15 December 1950) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist.
After the election of 1989 Hirsch Ballin was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Cab ...
(born 1950) a retired Dutch politician and jurist, lives in Tilburg.
*
Henk Krol
Henricus Cornelis Maria "Henk" Krol (; born 1 April 1950) is a Dutch journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, activist and politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 10 September 2014. He used to be the leader of 50PLUS, ...
(born 1950) a Dutch journalist, publisher, entrepreneur and politician
*
Yvonne van Rooy
Yvonne Catharina Maria Theresia van Rooy (born 4 June 1951) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and businesswoman.
Van Rooy attended a Gymnasium (school), Gymnasium in Maastric ...
(born 1951) a retired Dutch politician, MEP, diplomat and businesswoman
*
Roger van Boxtel
Roger Henri Ludovic Maria van Boxtel (born 8 February 1954) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and businessman.
Van Boxtel attended a Keizer Karel Gymnasium in Amstelveen from April 1966 until May 1973 and applied at ...
(born 1954) a retired Dutch politician, now CEO of
Dutch Railways
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...
Science & Business
*
Franciscus Donders
Franciscus (Franz) Cornelius Donders FRS FRSE (27 May 1818 – 24 March 1889) was a Dutch ophthalmologist. During his career, he was a professor of physiology in Utrecht, and was internationally regarded as an authority on eye diseases, directi ...
(1818–1889), a Dutch ophthalmologist
*
Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis
Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis (28 October 1892, in Tilburg – 18 May 1965, in De Bilt) was a Dutch historian of science.
Career
Dijksterhuis studied mathematics at the University of Groningen from 1911 to 1918. His Ph.d. thesis was entitled "A Contrib ...
(1892-1965), a Dutch historian of science
*
Bart le Blanc
Lambertus Johannes Carolus Maria "Bart" Le Blanc (born 4 November 1946, 's-Hertogenbosch) is a Dutch economist, with a career spanning the sectors of public finance, banking and asset management. He is one of the founding partners of Andreas Capi ...
(born 1946), a Dutch economist in public finance, banking and asset management
*
Henri Termeer
Henri A. Termeer (February 28, 1946 – May 12, 2017) was a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur who is considered a pioneer in corporate strategy in the biotechnology industry for his tenure as CEO at Genzyme. Termeer created a busine ...
(1946–2017), a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur
*
Jozien Bensing
Josina Maria "Jozien" Bensing (born 12 March 1950) is a Dutch clinical psychologist. Bensing was director of the (NIVEL) between 1985 and 2008. Since 1993 she has been a professor of clinical and healthcare psychology at Utrecht University. Bensi ...
(born 1950), a Dutch clinical psychologist and academic
*
Marc van Roosmalen
Dr. Marc van Roosmalen (born June 23, 1947) is a Dutch-Brazilian primatologist. He was elected as one of the "Heroes of the Planet" by ''Time'' magazine in 2000. His research has led to the identification of several new monkey species, as well a ...
(born 1947),
Dutch Brazilian
Dutch Brazilians ( pt, Neerlando-brasileiro) refers to Brazilians of full or partial Dutch ancestry. Dutch Brazilians are mainly descendants of immigrants from the Netherlands.
The Dutch were among the first Europeans settling in Brazil during ...
primatologist (elected as one of the "Heroes of the Planet" by
Time magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
)
*
Marijn Dekkers Marijn Emmanuel Dekkers (born 22 September 1957 in Tilburg, Netherlands) is a Dutch-American former pharmaceutical businessman. He was CEO of Bayer AG from 2010 to 2016. He served as CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. from 2002 to 2009. He served ...
(born 1957), a former pharmaceutical businessman, CEO of
Bayer AG
Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
2010 to 2016
* Caroline Nevejan (born 1958), Chief Science Officer with the City of Amsterdam
*
Ron Heeren
Ron M.A. Heeren (born 1965, Tilburg) is a Dutch scientist in mass spectrometry imaging. He is currently a distinguished professor at Maastricht University and the scientific director of the Multimodal Molecular Imaging Institute (M4I), where he ...
(born 1965), professor specializing in
mass spectrometry imaging
Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a technique used in mass spectrometry to visualize the spatial distribution of molecules, as biomarkers, metabolites, peptides or proteins by their molecular masses. After collecting a mass spectrum at one spot, ...
*
Michael van Poppel
Michael van Poppel (born in Tilburg, the Netherlands) is the founder and President of BNO News.
Van Poppel ran a popular Twitter-based news service called ''BreakingNews'' from May 2007 until December 2009. It scooped regular news organizations ...
(born 1989), the founder and President of
BNO News
BNO News is an international news agency headquartered in Tilburg, the Netherlands. It provides news wire services to media organizations.
Overview
BNO News was founded by Michael van Poppel of the Netherlands in May 2007. The company ran a po ...
Sport
*
Jan Pijnenburg
Johannes "Jan" Baptist Norbertus Pijnenburg (15 February 1906 – 2 December 1979) was a Dutch track cyclist who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He won the silver medal as part of the Dutch pursuit team. After the Olympics he turned prof ...
(1906–1979) track cyclist, team silver medallist at the
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
*
Toon Becx
Antonius Wilhelmus Maria "Toon" Becx (21 April 1920 − 26 November 2013) was a Dutch people, Dutch Association football, footballer who played for Willem II (football club), Willem II, primarily as a Left winger (association football), left wing ...
(1920−2013) a Dutch footballer with 329 caps with Willem II
*
Toon Ebben
Antonius "Toon" Ebben (22 December 1930 – 4 February 2011) was a Dutch equestrian. After acting as a groom for Max and Ernest van Loon at the 1952 Summer Olympics, Ebben began competing himself, riding ''Kairouan'' in the 1950s–60s and lat ...
(1930–2011) a Dutch equestrian, competed at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
*
Toon van Helfteren
Anton J. J. "Toon" van Helfteren (born 20 February 1951) is a Dutch former basketball player and current coach of Feyenoord Basketball. Van Helfteren played in the Dutch Basketball League from 1971 till 1990. He was the coach of ZZ Leiden from ...
(born 1951) a Dutch former basketball player, current coach of
Feyenoord Basketball
Feyenoord Basketball, for sponsorship reasons known as Zeeuw & Zeeuw Feyenoord Basketball, is a Dutch professional basketball club based in Rotterdam. The team plays in the BNXT League and plays its home games at the Topsportcentrum next to De K ...
and coach of the
Dutch national basketball team
The Netherlands men's national basketball team ( nl, Het Nederlands nationaal basketbalteam) represents the Netherlands in international basketball matches. The national team is governed by Basketball Nederland.
The Dutch have reached the Eur ...
2013 to 2019.
*
Bud Brocken
Budde Jan Peter Maria "Bud" Brocken (born 12 September 1957) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played for Willem II, Birmingham City, FC Groningen and FC Den Bosch, as well as the Netherlands national team, as a winger.
Club car ...
(born 1957) a Dutch former professional footballer with 512 club caps
*
Anita Staps
Anita Staps (born 5 April 1961) is a retired judoka from the Netherlands. She won a world title in 1980, when women's competitions were first introduced to the World Judo Championships, and finished in third place at the next three consecutive cha ...
(born 1961) a retired judoka, world title holder in 1980
*
Jean-Paul van Poppel
Jean-Paul van Poppel (born 30 September 1962 in Tilburg, North Brabant) is a Dutch former racing cyclist, who was nicknamed ''Popeye''.
Van Poppel was one of the most successful Dutch road sprinters. He won stages in mass sprints in all three G ...
(born 1962) a former Dutch racing cyclist
* John Lammers (born 1963) a football manager with
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the Danish football league system. Foun ...
and former player with 433 club caps
*
Bas Rutten
Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his car ...
(born 1965) a Dutch-American actor and retired mixed martial artist IMDb Database retrieved 6 February 2020
* Ageeth Boomgaardt (born 1972) a Dutch former field hockey defender, 192 international matches for the Netherlands, and team bronze and silver medallist at the Olympic Games
*
Remy Bonjasky
Remy Kenneth Bonjasky (born January 10, 1976) is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix heavyweight champion, winning the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008. Bonjasky has been known for his flying kicks, knee atta ...
(born 1976) a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer
*
Floris Evers
Floris Maarten Alphons Maria Evers (born 26 February 1983 in Tilburg, North Brabant) is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, who won the silver medal with the Dutch national team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and at the 2012 Summer Olympi ...
(born 1983) a field hockey player, team silver medallist at the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
* Mike van der Zanden (born 1987) a Dutch paraplegic swimmer, bronze medallist in the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
*
Margot van Geffen
Margot van Geffen (born 23 November 1989) is a Dutch field hockey player.
She took up field hockey aged six and since 2011 is a member of the Dutch national team. She won the 2014 World Cup and a gold and a silver medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olym ...
(born 1989) a field hockey player, team gold and silver medallist at the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
*
Benito van de Pas
Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player.
Career BDO
Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen.
Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. ...
(born 1993) is a Dutch darts player
* Jackie Groenen (born 1994) a Dutch footballer and former judoka
Gallery
File:Tilburg, straatzicht2 foto2 2010-10-03 09.17.JPG, Tilburg, view at Heuvelstraat
File:Tilburg, kerk3 foto2 2010-10-03 09.20.JPG, Tilburg, Saint Denis Church, known as the: ''Heikese Kerk''
File:Tilburg Donders.jpg, Tilburg, statue of Petrus Donders
File:Tilburg textielmuseum2.jpg, Tilburg textile museum
File:Paleis-raadhuis.jpg,
City Hall of Tilburg
The City Hall of Tilburg or Palace-Council House (Dutch: ''Paleis-Raadhuis'') is a former royal palace and presently a part of Tilburg city hall in the Netherlands. Construction of the palace was commissioned by King William II of the Netherlan ...
Jewish Tilburg
The history of the Jews in Tilburg, Netherlands, did not start until 1767, when a Jewish citizen of the town Oisterwijk was given permission to settle in Tilburg, despite objections from the city council. Several Jewish families also succeeded in s ...
*
Brabantian
Brabantian or Brabantish, also Brabantic or Brabantine ( nl, Brabants, Standard Dutch pronunciation: , ), is a dialect group of the Dutch language. It is named after the historical Duchy of Brabant, which corresponded mainly to the Dutch provi ...
*
Villa Mariënhof
Villa Mariënhof is a historic mansion with a garden located along the Bredaseweg in the Dutch city Tilburg. It was built between 1916 and 1918 as the residence of the family of a factory owner, and it was designed by Johan Wilhelm Hanrath. In 1986 ...