Hilversum () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Located in the heart of the

Gooi The Gooi ( ) is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants and its villas. The Gooi is known in the country a ...

, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, lakes and smaller towns. Hilversum is part of the

Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim City" or "Edge City") is a roughly crescent- or Circular arc, arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country's population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Net ...

, one of the largest

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

s in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and the

Amsterdam metropolitan area The Metropolitan Region Amsterdam () is the city region around the city of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. It lies in the Noordvleugel (English: "North Wing") of the larger polycentric Randstad metropolitan area and encompasses the ci ...

; it is about 22km southeast of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

's city centre and about 15km north of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. The city is home to several major radio, television, and newspaper companies such as ''

Nederlandse Omroep Stichting The (; NOS or rarely ; ) is one of the broadcasting organisations making up the Dutch public broadcasting system. It has a special statutory obligation to make news and sports programmes for the three Dutch public television channels and the ...

''. Hilversum is thus known for being the ''mediastad'' (media city) of the Netherlands.

Town

Hilversum lies south-east of

and north of

. The town is known for its architecturally important Town Hall (Raadhuis Hilversum), designed by

Willem Marinus Dudok Willem Marinus Dudok (6 July 1884 – 6 April 1974) was a famous Dutch modernist architect. He was born in Amsterdam. He became City Architect for the town of Hilversum in 1928 where he was best known for the brick Hilversum Town Hall, comp ...

and built in 1931. Hilversum has one public library, two swimming pools (Van Hellemond Sport and De Lieberg), several sports halls, and several shopping centers (such as Hilvertshof, Winkelcentrum Kerkelanden, De Riebeeckgalerij, and Winkelcentrum Seinhorst). Locally, the town center is known as .

Geography

Hilversum is located on the sandy, hilly parts of the Gooi region and has four hills: the Boomberg (closest to the town center); the Trompenberg (now a luxury residential area), the Hoorneboeg (farther to the south), and two kilometers east of there, the Zwaluwenberg (25m), home to the headquarters of the inspector-general of the armies since 1950. These hills date from the period of the

Ice-age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

, when Hilversum was the southern-most point covered by glaciers. The surrounding towns of Hilversum are Nieuw-Loosdrecht, Bussum, Kortenhoef, Blaricum, Hollandsche Rading, Lage Vuursche, Maartensdijk, 's-Graveland, Laren, Nederhorst den Berg, and Ankeveen. Hilversum consists of the following districts and neighborhoods: Center (Langgewenstbuurt, Sint Vitusbuurt, Havenstraatbuurt, and Centrum), Northwest (Nimrodpark, Trompenberg North, Trompenberg South, Media Park, Raadhuiskwartier, and Boomberg), Northeast (North, Johannes Geradtswegbuurt, Erfgooiersbuurt, and AZC Crailo), East (Geuzenbuurt, Electrobuurt, Astronomiebuurt, Science neighborhood, Kamrad, Kleine Driftbuurt and Liebergen), Southeast (Bloemkwartier Noord, Bloemenkwartier Zuid, Schilderskwartier, 't Hoogt van' t Kruis, Arenaparkkwartier and West Indiëkwartier), Zuid (Schrijverskwartier, Staatsliedenkwartier and Zeeheldenkwartier), Southwest (Kerkelanden, Havenkwartier, Zeverijn and Het Rode Dorp) and Hilversumse Meent. In 1767, Hilversum was still divided into 4 districts (quarters): the Neuquartier, Groestquartier, Kerkquartier, and the Sandtbergerquartier. The Oude Haven in the southwest is at the end of the Gooische Vaart. The construction of the canal between 's-Graveland and Hilversum was done in stages over 240 years. The canal was completed in 1876. Later, a modern harbor was dug, surrounded by an industrial estate. There is also a leisure harbor.

International

Hilversum has a variety of international schools, such as the ''Violenschool'' and ''International School Hilversum "Alberdingk Thijm"''. Also,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

's,

Hunkemöller Hunkemöller is a Dutch fast fashion retailer selling affordable lingerie and related products. Corporate information Hunkemöller identifies itself as a fast fashion company. It was founded in 1886 in Amsterdam as a speciality shop for corsets. ...

's and Converse's European headquarters are located in Hilversum.

History

Earthenware found in Hilversum gives its name to the

Hilversum culture The Hilversum culture is a prehistoric material culture found in middle Bronze Age in the region of the southern Netherlands and northern Belgium. It has been associated with the Wessex culture from the same period in southern England, and is one ...

, which is an early- to mid-Bronze Age, or 1800–1200 BC

material culture Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...

. Artifacts from this prehistoric civilization bear similarities to the Wessex Culture of southern Britain and may indicate that the first Hilversum residents emigrated from that area. The first brick settlements formed around 900, but it was not until 1305 that the first official mention of Hilversum ("Hilfersheem" from "Hilvertshem" meaning "houses between the hills") was found. At that time it was a part of

Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Gooi region in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part ...

, the oldest town in the Gooi area. Johannes Bosboom - Interieur van een boerendeel bij Hilversum

Farming, raising sheep, and wool manufacturing were the main sources of income for inhabitants of the Gooi region in the Middle Ages. In 1424, Hilversum received its first official independent status. This made further growth possible because permission was no longer needed from neighboring Naarden for new industrial development. The town grew further in the 17th century when the Dutch economy was strong, and several canals were built connecting it indirectly to Amsterdam. In 1725 and 1766 large fires destroyed most of the town, leveling parts of the old townhouse and the church next to it. The town overcame these setbacks and the textile industry continued to develop, among other ways by devising a way to weave cows' hair. In the 19th century a substantial textile and tapestry industry emerged, aided by a railway link to Amsterdam in 1874. From that time onward the town grew quickly with wealthy commuters from Amsterdam moving in, building themselves large villas in the wooded surroundings, and gradually starting to live in Hilversum permanently. Despite this growth, Hilversum was never granted

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

so it is still referred to by many locals as "het dorp", or "the village." For the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

in neighboring

, it hosted all of the non-jumping

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

and the running part of the

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

event. The ''Nederlandse Seintoestellen Fabriek'' (NSF) company established a professional transmitter and radio factory in Hilversum in the early 1920s, growing into the largest of its kind in the Netherlands. Following the defeat of Allied forces in the Netherlands in 1940, and its occupation by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, Hilversum became the headquarters of the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

(''Heer'') in the Netherlands. On February 25 and 26, 1941, most of Hilversum's factories went on strike against the start of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

in the so-called February strike (

Amsterdam Docker's Strike Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the Dut ...

). Some 10,000 people took part. The Holocaust took the lives of 2,000 Hilversum Jews and the community never fully recovered. Since 2015 there has been an annual remembrance service. Some 50 Hilversummers were awarded the title of

Righteous among the nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

from Yad Vashem, including

Victor Kugler Victor Kugler (5 June 1900 – 14 December 1981) was one of the people who helped hide Anne Frank and her family and friends during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In Anne Frank's posthumously published diary, ''Het Achterhuis'', known ...

, one of

Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...

's helpers. In 1948, NSF was taken over by

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

. However, Dutch radio broadcasting organizations (followed by television broadcasters during the 1950s) centralised their operations in Hilversum, providing a source of continuing economic growth. The concentration of broadcasters in Hilversum has given it its enduring status as the media city for the Netherlands. In 1964, the population reached a record high of over 103,000. However, the textile industry had started its decline; only one factory, Veneta, managed to continue into the 1960s, when it also had to close. Another major industry, the chemical factory IFF, also closed by the end of the 1960s. After the 1960s, the population gradually declined, until stabilising at around 86,000 in 2006 and rising to 90,000 in 2018. Several factors other than the slump in manufacturing contributed to this decline: one is the reduction in average family size, with fewer people living in each house; second, the town is virtually unable to expand because much surrounding land was sold by city architect W.M. Dudok to the Goois Natuurreservaat ('' nl''); third, the rapid increase in property values forced many people to move to less expensive areas in the Netherlands. Hilversum was one of the first towns to have a local party of the populist movement called ''Leefbaar'' ("liveable"). Founded by former social-democrat Jan Nagel, it was initially held at bay for alderman positions. In 2001, Nagel from Leefbaar Hilversum teamed up with Leefbaar Utrecht leaders to found a national

Leefbaar Nederland Livable Netherlands (, LN) was a Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch political party. Pim Fortuyn began his political career in the party. History Historically there have always been parties in Provincial council (Netherlands), States Provincial ...

party. The town has undertaken many improvements, including renovating its central train station, renovation of the main shopping centre (Hilvertshof), and development of new dining and retail districts downtown including the "vintage" district in the Leeuwenstraat. Several notable architectural accomplishments include the Institute for Sound and Vision, and Zanderij Crailoo ('' nl''), the largest man-made

wildlife crossing Wildlife crossings are structures that allow animals to cross human-made barriers safely. Wildlife crossings may include underpass tunnels or wildlife tunnels, viaducts, and overpasses or green bridges (mainly for large or herd-type animals ...

in the world. The nearby Media Park was the scene of the 2002 assassination of politician

Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (; 19 February 1948 – 6 May 2002), was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF) in ...

; in 2015, a gunman carrying a false pistol stormed into

's headquarters, demanding airtime on the evening news.

Culture

There is the large Catholic neo-gothic St. Vitus church ( P.J.H. Cuypers, 1892, bell tower . The city played host to many landscape artists during the 19th century, including Barend Cornelis Koekkoek. In the 1950s and 1960s the city played host to a major European Tennis tournament. The 1958 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Hilversum. In 2020 the international television event '' Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'' was broadcast from Studio 21 in Hilversum's Media Park. This event was held in place of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song " Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. This w ...

which was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Broadcasting

Hilversum is often called "media city", since it is the principal centre for radio and television broadcasting in the Netherlands, and is home to an extensive complex of radio and television

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

s and to the administrative headquarters of the multiple broadcasting organizations which make up the

Netherlands Public Broadcasting (; abbreviated to NPO ; literally "Dutch Public Broadcaster") or Dutch Foundation for Public Broadcasting () is a Dutch public broadcasting organisation that administers public broadcasting services in the Netherlands. NPO is also the owner of ...

system. Hilversum is also home to many newer commercial TV production companies.

Radio Netherlands Radio Netherlands (RNW; ) was a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands from 1947 to 2012. Its services in Dutch ended on 11 May 2012. Eng ...

, which had been broadcasting worldwide via

shortwave radio Shortwave radio is radio transmission using radio frequencies in the shortwave bands (SW). There is no official definition of the band range, but it always includes all of the High frequency, high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30& ...

since the 1920s, was also based in Hilversum until it was dissolved in 2013. The following is a list of organizations that have, or are continuing to, broadcast from studios in Hilversum: One result of the town's history as an important radio transmission centre is that many older radio sets throughout Europe featured ''Hilversum'' as a pre-marked dial position on their tuning scales. Dutch national voting in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

is normally co-ordinated from Hilversum.

Transport

Airport

Hilversum Airport is located in the southwest of the municipality. Next to it is the former Marine Training Camp (MOK), now Corporal Van Oudheusden Barracks for the medical troops. In wartime the airfield was expanded significantly by the German military. They also set up an assembly line for training aircraft, produced by

Fokker Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 19 ...

Weesp Weesp () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and an urban area in the Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Amsterdam in the Provinces of the netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It had a populati ...

Railway

Hilversum is well connected to the Dutch railway network, and has three stations.

Public buses

Most local and regional buses are operated by

Connexxion Connexxion formerly Transdev#Netherlands, Transdev Netherlands, Veolia Transport Nederland, Veolia Transport Nederlands and Connex Netherlands is a large Public transport in the Netherlands, public transport company in the Netherlands, operatin ...

, but two of the bus routes are operated by Syntus Utrecht and two others by U-OV and Pouw Vervoer. Regional bus route 320 is operated by both Connexxion and Pouw Vervoer. In 2018, major road works started to make room for a new BRT bus lane from Hilversum to Huizen, set to open in early 2021.

Local bus lines

Regional bus lines

Local government

The

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of Hilversum consists of 37 seats, which are divided as follows since the last local election of 2022: * Hart voor Hilversum – 8 seats * D66 – 7 seats *

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a conservative-liberal political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party, is a party of the centre-right that tries to promote private enterprise and ...

– 5 seats *

GroenLinks (, ; GL) is a Green politics, green List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four Left-wing politics, left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Neth ...

– 4 seats * CDA – 4 seats * Democraten Hilversum – 3 seat * PvdA – 2 seats * SP – 2 seats *

ChristenUnie The Christian Union ( ; CU) is a Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CU is a centrist party, maintaining more progressive stances on economic, immigration and environmental issues while holding more socially conservative ...

– 1 seat *

Belang van Nederland Belang van Nederland (; ; BVNL) is a political party in the Netherlands, led by Wybren van Haga. Between 2021 and 2023, it was active in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives as the independent Van Haga Group (). Its ...

(BVNL) – 1 seat

Government

After the 2022 elections, the municipal government was made up of aldermen from the political parties Hart voor Hilversum, VVD, GroenLinks and CDA. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

is Gerhard van den Top. Hart voor Hilversum, a local party, is the largest group on the council. Originally a part of Leefbaar Hilversum, it separated to form a party called DLPH, which won 1 seat in the 2006 elections. In 2006 leadership was taken over by Léonie Sazias, a TV celebrity. She later changed the party name to Hart voor Hilversum. They won 3 seats in the 2010 elections, 6 in 2014 and 8 in both 2018 and 2022.

Notable residents

Notable people born in Hilversum:

Public service & public thinking

* H. A. Sinclair de Rochemont (1901–1942), a Dutch fascist and later a Nazi collaborator *

Jan van den Brink Johannes Roelof Maria "Jan" van den Brink (12 April 1915 – 19 July 2006) was a Dutch politician of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and businessman. He was minister of Economic Affairs in three successive governments from 1948 till 1952. ...

(1915–2006), a Dutch politician and businessman *

Joop den Uyl Johannes Marten den Uijl (9 August 1919 – 24 December 1987), better known as Joop den Uyl (), was a Dutch politician and economist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 to 1977. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA ...

(1919–1987),

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands () or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers () is the ''de facto'' head of government of the Netherlands.''Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden'' onstitution of the Kingdom of the N ...

1973 to 1977 * Wilhelmus Luijpen (1922–1980), a Dutch philosopher, Catholic priest of the

Order of St. Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine (), abbreviated OSA, is a mendicant religious order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were following the Rule of Saint Augustin ...

and an existential phenomenologist *

Ineke van Wetering Wilhelmina (''Ineke'') van Wetering (17 October 1934, Hilversum - 18 October 2011, Huijbergen) was a Dutch anthropologist and Surinamist. She was born on 17 October 1934 in the Dutch city of Hilversum. When she was 10 years old, her father (iro ...

(1934–2011), a Dutch anthropologist who studied witchcraft in

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

Hubert van Es Hubert van Es (6 July 1941 – 15 May 2009) was a Dutch photographer and photojournalist who took the well-known photo on 29 April 1975, which shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a CIA Air America helicopter during the U.S. ev ...

(1941–2009),

war journalist A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the world. O ...

in Vietnam *

John Gerretsen John Philip Gerretsen (born June 9, 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands. He s ...

(born 1942), politician in Ontario, Canada *

Ernst Bakker Ernst Carel Bakker (16 April 1946 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician, alderman and member of the Democrats 66 political party. He served as a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives from 1981 to 1 ...

(1946–2014), a Dutch politician, Mayor of Hilversum 1998 to 2011 * Olga Fischer (born 1951), a Dutch linguist and academic *

Bartha Knoppers Bartha Maria Knoppers, Order of Canada, OC National Order of Quebec, OQ (born May 26, 1951) is a Canadians, Canadian law Professor and an expert on the ethical aspects of genetics, genomics and biotechnology. Born in Hilversum, Netherlands, she r ...

(born 1951), a Canadian lawyer * Léonie Sazias (1957–2022), Politician and TV presenter *

André Rouvoet André Rouvoet (; born 4 January 1962) is a retired Dutch politician of the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later the Christian Union (CU) party and jurist. He is the chairman of the executive board of the Healthcare Insura ...

(born 1962), a retired Dutch politician *

Janneke Raaijmakers Janneke Ellen Raaijmakers (Hilversum, 28 June 1973 - Utrecht, 2 May 2021) was a Dutch historian of the Middle Ages who specialized in the formation of monastic communities and the role of religious objects in the cult of the saints, with a particu ...

(born 1973), a Dutch historian of the Middle Ages, focus on the

Fulda monastery The Abbey of Fulda (; ), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda () and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey and Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality centered on Fulda, in the present-day Ger ...

The arts

Jan Teulings Johannes Marinus Antonius (Jan) Teulings (29 May 1905 – 22 September 1989) was a Dutch actor. He appeared in more than thirty films from 1936 to 1987. Filmography References External links * 1905 births 1989 deaths Dutch film d ...

(1905–1989), a Dutch actor * Emmy Lopes Dias (1919–2005), a Dutch stage, radio, and TV actress and advocate for the right to die *

Pim Jacobs Willem Bernard "Pim" Jacobs (29 October 1934 – 3 July 1996) was a Dutch jazz pianist, composer and television presenter. Early life Jacobs was born on 29 October 1934 in Hilversum, the Netherlands. His parents were artistic. He started playing ...

(1934–1996), a Dutch jazz pianist, composer and TV presenter *

Chris Hinze Christiaan Herbert "Chris" Hinze (born June 30, 1938, Hilversum, Netherlands) is a Dutch people, Dutch jazz and New Age music, New age flautist. Life and work Hinze initially performed publicly as a pianist until the mid-1960s, when he began ...

(born 1938), a Dutch former pianist, now jazz and New Age flautist *

Harry van Hoof Harry van Hoof (16 March 1943 – 1 June 2024) was a Dutch conductor, composer, and music arranger. Life and career Born to Henri René Marie van Hoof (1914–1992) and Maria Martina Joanna Broens (1914–1996). He had two brothers Franciscus ...

(born 1943), a Dutch conductor, composer and music arranger * Harmke Pijpers (born 1946), a Dutch journalist and radio and TV presenter *

Dick Diamonde Dingeman Adriaan Henry van der Sluijs (; 28 December 1947 – 18 September 2024), better known by his stage name Dick Diamonde, was an Australian bass guitarist. He was a founding mainstay member of the Easybeats. Diamonde, with the group, was ...

(1947–2024), a retired Dutch Australian bass guitar player *

Ton Scherpenzeel Ton Scherpenzeel (born 6 August 1952) is a Dutch keyboardist, composer, lyricist, and founding member of Dutch progressive rock band Kayak. Subsequent to Kayak, Scherpenzeel joined British progressive rock band Camel (band), Camel. He also play ...

(born 1952), keyboardist and founder of the Dutch rock band

Kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

Pim Koopman Wilhelmus Frederikus "Pim" Koopman (11 March 1953 – 23 November 2009) was a Dutch musician best known as the drummer, percussionist and occasional lead singer of rock band Kayak. Biography Born in Hilversum, Koopman co-founded Kayak in 197 ...

(1953–2009), drummer of the Dutch progressive rock band,

Max Werner Max Werner (29 December 1953 – 9 April 2024) was a Dutch vocalist, musician, and drummer. He was the lead singer, drummer, and percussionist of the progressive art rock band Kayak. Life and career Werner was born in Hilversum. In 1972, W ...

(1953–2024), lead singer and drummer of the rock band

Erland Van Lidth de Jeude Erland Philip Peter van Lidth de Jeude (June 3, 1953 – September 23, 1987) was a Dutch–American actor, opera singer, and amateur wrestler. Early life and education Erland Philip Peter van Lidth de Jeude was born in Hilversum, the Netherl ...

(1953–1987), a Dutch-American actor, opera singer and amateur wrestler *

Arjan Ederveen Arjan Ederveen Janssen (born 9 September 1956 in Hilversum) is a Dutch actor, comedian, TV scriptwriter and TV director. He participated in the TV series '' Theo en Thea'', '' Kreatief met Kurk'' and '' 30 minuten'' and played in the musicals '' ...

(born 1956), a Dutch actor, comedian, TV scriptwriter and TV director * Luc Leestemaker (1957–2012), an American abstract expressionist artist *

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 t ...

(born 1960), a Dutch singer, songwriter, musician and record producer * Bert Boeren (born 1962), a Dutch jazz trombonist and educator *

Ruud de Wild Rudolf Alexander de Wild (born 24 April 1969) is a Dutch radio host. He is also a former DJ, VJ (media personality), VJ and was one of the faces of the now-defunct television network Talpa (TV), Talpa. On 6 May 2002, when he worked for radio s ...

(born 1969) a Dutch radio host * Liza Ferschtman (born 1979), a Dutch classical violinist *

Marieke Blaauw Marieke Blaauw (born 1979, in Hilversum) is a Dutch animator. Life Blaauw was born in 1979 in Hilversum. She studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. She graduated in 2002. In 2005 she worked as an animator on the stop motion ch ...

(born 1979), a Dutch animator * Nicolette Kluijver (born 1984), a Dutch TV presenter and former modelIMDb Database
retrieved 4 December 2019 *

Rami Ismail Rami Ismail (born 30 October 1988) is a Dutch-Egyptian independent video game developer. He is further known for being a spokesperson within the video game industry on the topics of diversity and reaching out to game developers from developing ...

(born 1988), a Dutch-Egyptian video games developer *

Lucas & Arthur Jussen Lucas (left) and Arthur Jussen (right) in 2019, 260px Lucas Jussen (born 27 February 1993) and Arthur Jussen (born 28 September 1996) are a Dutch piano duo. They are brothers who have been performing in public since early childhood, often togeth ...

, Lucas (born 1993) and Arthur (born 1996) are brothers and form a piano duo. *

Sick Individuals Sick Individuals (stylized in all caps) are a Dutch electronic dance music act consisting of Rinze "Ray" Hofstee (; born 15 March 1988) and Joep "Jim" Smeele (; born 3 November 1990). The two met in Hilversum (2008) while studying Music Composit ...

(founded 2010), a Dutch electronic dance music act

Science & business

J. W. B. Gunning Jan Willem Boudewijn Gunning (3 September 1860 in Hilversum, North Holland – 26 June 1913 in Pretoria), was a Dutch physician, who served as the director of both the Staatsmuseum and what was then known as the Pretoria Zoological Gardens ...

(1860–1913), Dutch physician and museum director in South Africa *

Joop van Oosterom Joop van Oosterom (12 December 1937 – 22 October 2016) was a Dutch billionaire, chess and billiards sponsor, and twice correspondence chess world champion. His fortune, made with the Volmac Software Group, was estimated by Dutch financial ma ...

(1937–2016), Dutch billionaire and chess and billiards sponsor *

Bessel Kok Bessel Kok (born 13 December 1941 in Hilversum, Netherlands) is a Dutch businessman and chess organiser living in Prague. He has served in top management positions in telecommunications companies in Belgium ( Belgacom) and in the Czech Republic. He ...

(born 1941), Dutch businessman and chess organiser *

Wim van den Brink Wim van den Brink (born 1952) is emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam. He was Director of the Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research (AIAR) and Scientific Director of the Nati ...

(born 1952), Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Amsterdam * Henkjan Honing (born 1959), Professor of Music Cognition at the University of Amsterdam *

John de Mol Johannes Hendrikus Hubert "John" de Mol Jr. is a Dutch media proprietor. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa Network, Talpa. He created the reality television formats ''Big Brother (franchise), Big Brother' ...

(born 1955), media tycoon and TV producer * Pieter Geelen (born 1964), Dutch entrepreneur, co-developed the Mapcode * Olaf Swantee (born 1966), Dutch businessman, former CEO of EE

Sport

* de Looper brothers,

Henk Henk is a Dutch people, Dutch male given name, originally a short form of Hendrik (given name), Hendrik. It influenced "Hank" which is used in English-speaking countries (mainly in the US) as a form of "Henry (given name), Henry". Academics *Hen ...

(1912–2006) and Jan (1914–1987). Dutch field hockey players and bronze medallists at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

* Nel van Vliet (1926–2006), a breaststroke swimmer, gold medallist at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

* Roel Wiersma (1932–1995), a Dutch footballer, 316 club caps with

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

* Geertje Wielema (1934–2009), a freestyle and backstroke swimmer, silver medallist at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

* Hermsen brothers,

(1937–2022)),

André André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as well in Portugal ...

(born 1942) and

Wim Wim is a Dutch masculine given name or a shortened form of Willem and may refer to: * Wim Anderiesen (1903–1944), Dutch footballer * Wim Aantjes (1923–2015), Dutch politician * Wim Arras (born 1964), Flemish Belgian cyclist * Wim Blockman ...

(born 1947), water polo players *

Mary Kok Mary Kok (born 1940) is a Dutch swimmer. Between 1954 and 1957 she set ten world records from the young age of 15 to 17 years. These included: *440 yd freestyle *880 yd freestyle *800 m freestyle *1760 yd freestyle *100 yd butterfly *100 m butte ...

(born 1940), a renowned Dutch swimmer * Adrie Lasterie (1943–1991), a Dutch swimmer, silver medallist at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

* Evert Kroon (1946–2018), water polo goalkeeper, bronze medallist at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

* :nl:John van Altena (born 1947), 107 caps, Dutch National Rugby XV * Ton van Klooster (born 1954), freestyle swimmer and swimming coach, competed at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

* Nico Landeweerd (born 1954), water polo player, bronze medallist at the

Andy Hoepelman Ilja Mohandas "Andy" Hoepelman (born March 26, 1955) is a Dutch former Olympic water polo player and current professor in medicine, subspecialty infectious diseases. He has more than 500 peer-reviewed articles on his name. He retired in August 20 ...

(born 1955), water polo player, bronze medallist at the

* Albert Voorn (born 1956), a Dutch equestrian and silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Alex Boegschoten (born 1956), a former water polo player, bronze medallist at the

* Hansje Bunschoten (born 1958–2017), swimmer and TV presenter, competed at the

Ellen Bontje Petronella Theodora Maria "Ellen" Bontje (born 11 June 1958 in Hilversum, North Holland) is an equestrian from The Netherlands, who won the silver medal in the Team Dressage Event at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She did so alongs ...

(born 1958), equestrian, team medallist at the

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and

* Reggie de Jong (born 1964), freestyle swimmer, bronze medallist at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

* Jelle Goes (born 1970), a Dutch football manager *

Pieta van Dishoeck Pieta Roberta van Dishoeck (born 13 May 1972 in Hilversum, North Holland) is a retired Rowing (sport), rower from the Netherlands who won two Olympic medals during her career. She claimed the silver medal in the Rowing at the 2000 Summer Olympi ...

(born 1972), a retired rower, won two medals at the

Davy Klaassen Davy Klaassen (born 21 February 1993) is a Dutch professional Association football, footballer who plays as an midfielder for Eredivisie club AFC Ajax, Ajax and the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Club career Earl ...

(born 1993), a Dutch professional footballer with 180 club caps

Gallery

File:Hilversum centrum A.jpg, Hilversum city centre File:Beeld-en-Geluid-Hay-Kranen-09.JPG, Sound and Vision (''Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid'') File:Hilversum Noordse Bosje A.jpg, Shopping district Noordse Bosje File:DJI00501.jpg, Media Park, Hilversum File:City Hall, Media Park, Hilversum, North Holland.jpg, 2020-08-19 Drone Shot Raadhuis and Media Park, Hilversum

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Venues of the 1928 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrian venues Olympic modern pentathlon venues Articles containing video clips