Valkenswaard () is a

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 ...

and a town in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in the

Metropoolregio Eindhoven The ''Metropoolregio Eindhoven'' (MRE; en, Eindhoven Metropolitan Region, italics=no), until 1 January 2014 the ''Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven'' (SRE; en, Cooperative union for the Region of Eindhoven, italics=no), is a regional governme ...

of the province 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 ...

. The municipality had a population of in and spans an area of of which is water. The name Valkenswaard stems from its history of falconers, who caught wild

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

s there; ''valk'' is

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

for "falcon". It lay on a route where falcons migrated south each year. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Valkenswaardian falconers were active at many European courts, in which falconing was a beloved pastime. Valkenswaard's falcon-catching area has now been built over and falcons are no longer caught there. In the 19th and 20th century, a number of large

cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...

factories were founded in Valkenswaard, the two most renowned of which being Willem II and Hofnar. A Second World War cemetery containing 220 British soldiers was created near Valkenswaard in October 1944. It is now maintained by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. The spoken language is Kempenlands (an

East Brabantian East Brabantian ( nl, Oost Noord-Brabants or Oost Brabants) is one of the main divisions of the Brabantian dialect group recognized by the ''Woordenboek van de Brabantse dialecten''. East Brabantian dialects are mainly spoken in the eastern part of ...

dialect, which is very similar to colloquial

). The Eurocircuit Valkenswaard is a motorsport racetrack that has hosted the

European Rallycross Championship European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

and the

FIM Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

Population centres

Borkel en Schaft Borkel en Schaft is a former municipality in the Netherlands, consisting of the villages of Borkel and Schaft. It was a separate municipality until 1934. The area is now part of the municipality of Valkenswaard. The spoken language is Kempenlands ...

Dommelen Dommelen is a village in the southern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Valkenswaard, North Brabant. Dommelen derives its name from the little brook Dommel that runs through it. Having its clear water close at hand, Dommelen is most ...

*Valkenswaard

Topography

''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Valkenswaard, June 2015''

Partner municipalities

Notable people born in Valkenswaard

Henk van den Breemen Hendrik Gijsbert Bernhard "Henk" van den Breemen (23 March 1941 – 20 January 2024) was a Dutch military officer. Biography Van den Breemen started his military career as a Midshipsman for the Marines in 1960. From June 1987 till June 1998 ...

(born 1941) a retired Dutch military officer *

Pieter van Geel Petrus Leonardus Bastiaan Antonius "Pieter" van Geel (born 8 April 1951) is a retired Dutch politician Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and urban planner. He was State Secretary of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment from 2002 ...

(born 1951) a retired Dutch politician * Linda Williams (born 1955) a Dutch singer, participated in the

1981 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan. Organised by the Europea ...

Ine Gevers Ine Gevers (born 1960 in Valkenswaard) is a Dutch curator of contemporary art, writer and activist. Gevers is known for large themed exhibitions in which she (often with others) explores the relationships between technology, power and identity. S ...

(born 1960) a Dutch curator of contemporary art, writer and activist * Jeroen Mettes (1978-2006) a Dutch poet, essayist and blogger *

Dominique van Hulst Dominique Rijpma van Hulst (; born 7 September 1981) is a Dutch singer and actress known by her stage name Do. She is best known for singing the vocals of "Heaven", DJ Sammy's worldwide top 10-hit in 2002–2003, a cover of the 1980s hit of the ...

(born 1981), singer, known by her stage name ''Do'' IMDb Database
retrieved 20 November 2019

Sport

Jan Tops Johannes Augustinus Petrus "Jan" Tops (born 5 April 1961) is an equestrian from the Netherlands, who won the gold medal in the team jumping event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain riding Top Gun. He did so alongside Pie ...

(born 1961) an equestrian, gold medallist at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Jens van Son Jens van Son (born 19 August 1987) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He formerly played for FC Eindhoven, FC Den Bosch, Sparta Rotterdam, Roda JC Kerkrade and Fortuna Sittard Fortuna Sittard (; li, Fortun ...

(born 1987) a Dutch professional footballer with over 250 club caps *

Lidewij Welten Lidewij Welten (born 16 July 1990) is a Dutch field hockey player. Welten is part of the Dutch national team in the youth and is seen as one of the most promising talents in the world. National coach Marc Lammers selected her for the 2008 Su ...

(born 1990) a Dutch field hockey player *

Daniëlle van de Donk Daniëlle van de Donk (; born 5 August 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for French Division 1 Féminine club Olympique Lyonnais and the Netherlands national team. She helped her national team to win the UEFA W ...

(born 1991) a Dutch professional footballer

Gallery

File:Notariskantoor Valkenswaard 01.jpg, Notariskantoor Valkenswaard File:Pintenwipper standbeeld Martinusplein Dommelen.jpg, Pintenwipper standbeeld Martinusplein Dommelen File:Winnaar 2008 - Buurtschap Hazestraat - Flying pirates on music.jpg, Winnaar 2008 - Buurtschap Hazestraat - Flying pirates on music File:Valkenswaard Zuil van de Eendracht Erich Reischke.jpg, Valkenswaard Zuil van de Eendracht Erich Reischke

References

External links

*
Official website
Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant {{NorthBrabant-geo-stub