Tilburg, Netherlands
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Tilburg () 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 Netherlands, in the southern
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 ...
of
North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic 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 ...
. With a population of 229,833 (January 2, 2024), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after
Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
and the seventh-largest in the Netherlands.
Tilburg University Tilburg University is a Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...
is located in Tilburg, as are
Avans University of Applied Sciences Avans University of Applied Sciences () is a Dutch high ranked vocational university. It is located in three cities: Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg. The school has over 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 18 institutes. There are 3,000 ...
and
Fontys University of Applied Sciences Fontys University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch university of applied sciences, located in the southern Netherlands. It has over 44,000 students on several campuses. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Til ...
. There are three
railway stations A train station, railroad station, or railway station 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 a ...
within the municipality:
Tilburg Tilburg () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. With a population of 22 ...
, 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 dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
in the suburbs of Oisterwijk. In the 14th century, Tilburg was proclaimed a manor; together with
Goirle Goirle () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, 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 syst ...
, 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 Lease#Leases_of_land, premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term * Fines, ore or oth ...
and interest 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 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 monarch, 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, ci ...
. 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. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
lands for flocks of
sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...
. 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. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
. The poor farmers living in these hamlets soon decided not to sell the
wool Wool is the textile fiber 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 some properties similar to animal w ...
from their sheep 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 weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...
—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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 many 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 did not 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 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 Great Britain and Irelan ...
until 27 April 1994, being chopped down 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 a major Dutch insurance company operating across the Netherlands. The company has gained wide recognition with its advertising campaign ''"Interpolis.Crystal clear"''. Besides financial compensation, Interpolis also offers compensati ...
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 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% 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 groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
barracks on St. Joseph Street, now a monumental building of the City Archives. 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 large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
, 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 (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
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 ser ...
.


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 (, , NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The rail infrastructure is maintained by network manager ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operato ...
became obsolete, a considerable stretch of the railway across the city, the '' Spoorzone'', became an
urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...
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, located in the southern Netherlands. It has over 44,000 students on several campuses. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Til ...
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 (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...
. 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
013 013 is a music venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The venue opened in 1998 and replaced the ''Noorderligt'', the ''Bat Cave'' and the ''MuziekKantenWinkel''. 013 is the largest popular music venue in the southern Netherlands. There are two concer ...
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-Willemsvaar ...
. 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 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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
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-lane ...
, 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, located in the southern Netherlands. It has over 44,000 students on several campuses. The three largest Fontys campuses are located in the cities of Eindhoven, Til ...
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 Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...
and
Avans Avans University of Applied Sciences () is a Dutch high ranked vocational university. It is located in three cities: Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg. The school has over 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 18 institutes. There are 3,000 ...
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 2 ...
, 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 ...
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.


Inhabitants by origin


Religion and life stances

The Tilburg agglomeration has the following religious makeup as of 2003: *
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
(60.7%) *
Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
(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 traditional denomination of the Dutch royal fami ...
(7.8%) *
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
(4.8%) *
Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming 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 Places * Reform, Al ...
(4.4%)


Geography


Climate

Tilburg experiences an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''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 fiber 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 some properties similar to animal w ...
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" (often shortened as "iff") is paraphrased by the biconditional, a logical connective between statements. The biconditional is true in two cases, where either both ...
has a factory in Tilburg. In the 1980s, the Japanese company
Fujifilm , trading as , or simply Fuji, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the areas of photography, optics, Office supplies, office and Biomedical engine ...
came to Tilburg. Insurance companies like
Interpolis Interpolis is a major Dutch insurance company operating across the Netherlands. The company has gained wide recognition with its advertising campaign ''"Interpolis.Crystal clear"''. Besides financial compensation, Interpolis also offers compensati ...
and CZ are headquartered in Tilburg, as well. Iris Ohyama 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 (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
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 Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...
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. 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''.


Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts

Tilburg is also the location of the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (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 never has 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, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
programmes in English and in Dutch, across different fields in music, visual arts, dance, theatre and performing arts 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; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
and the EU Intercultural Cities programme.


Beverages

Schrobbelèr is a local liqueur. It has an alcoholic percentage of 21.5%, slightly lower than most
bitters A bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an Alcoholic drink, alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a Bitterness (taste), bitter or bittersweet Flavoring, flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters ...
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 ( , ) 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, and the drink contin ...
glass. The drink originated in 1973 when Tilburgian entrepreneur Jan Wassing started experimenting with a drink with lower
alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
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 List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
company Schrobbeler Ltd, without the è on the last vowel. The drink is especially consumed at
Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. 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 , "blessed" and , "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 name. ''Beati'' is the p ...
of Peter Donders (locally named Peerke). The drink is sold in bottles of 70 centiliters. The Koningshoeven Brewery brews
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— produce beer, but the ''Authentic Trappist Product'' label is assigned ...
. It was founded in 1884 at Koningshoeven Abbey.


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 The Roadburn Festival is an annual music festival held each April in Tilburg, Netherlands. It was founded by Walter Hoeijmakers and Jurgen van den Brand in 1999, who ran a stoner rock blog of the same name. The festival has been held at Tilburg ...
. ''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 a renowned museum of contemporary art, De Pont, which houses works from artists such as
Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei ( ; , IPA: ; 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 ...
,
Anish Kapoor Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British 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 United Ki ...
and
Richard Serra Richard Serra (November 2, 1938 – March 26, 2024) was an American artist known for his large-scale Abstract art, abstract sculptures made for Site-specific art, site-specific landscape, urban, and Architecture, architectural settings, a ...
. The museum, which opened in 1992, is housed in a former wool mill, an important piece of Tilburg's history. Anish Kapoor's artwork Skymirror''' is displayed on the square in front of the museum. Also in the field of contemporary arts is the SEA Foundation Tilburg, an internationally oriented art foundation, exhibition space and artist residence for artists, writers and curators. Tilburg also hosts a significant
textile museum A textile museum is a museum with exhibits relating to the history and art of textiles, including: * Textile industries and manufacturing, often located in former factories or buildings involved in the design and production of yarn, cloth, and cl ...
, offering not only a historical view in its former factory, but also a laboratory for design, production and development of textile as a material. It opened in 1958. There is also the ''Natuurmuseum Brabant'' (Brabant Museum of Nature), dedicated to natural history. Originally named the Natural History Museum of Tilburg (''Natuurhistorisch Museum Tilburg),'' the museum was established in 1935. The museum was originally housed in the former intendant residence of King Willem II, but moved in 1985 to its current location, a former technical school near the railway station. The collection consists of a large variety of stuffed animals, animals kept in formaldehyde, dried plants, stones, minerals, fossils and archaeological artfacts. The Museum Scryption was a former museum in Tilburg with the main theme 'written communication'. It closed in 2011.


Tilburg City Museum

The Tilburg City Museum (''Stadsmuseum Tilburg)'' does not have a fixed location. It manages the city's heritage collection and creates exhibitions at diverse venues. For example, 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-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
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 The collection that ''Stadsmuseum Tilburg'' manages is part of Tilburg City Collection. In addition, it manages the Memory of Tilburg with more than 4400 stories.


Parks and Forests

Parks and forests provide inhabitants from the Tilburg area with recreation. The ''Leijpark'' and ''Reeshofpark'' are the largest parks. Leijpark was famous for Festival Mundial 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 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 indoor 400 m speed skating rink Ireen Wüst IJsbaan. Within the speed skating rink there's an
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
field. The hockey team Tilburg Trappers dominated the Eredivisie (Dutch Premier League) for years before moving to the Oberliga, the third tier of ice hockey in Germany. In 2024
bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...
was introduced, including the founding of a new club, ''Bandy Vereniging Tilburg''. At the
Women's Bandy World Championship The Women's Bandy World Championships is an international sports tournament for women and the premier international competition for women's bandy among bandy-playing nations. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy ...
in 2025, three players from Tilburg were part of the Dutch team.


Attractions

Tilburg is the closest major settlement to The Efteling, with the amusement park made famous by
Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...
being located only 11km away from the city centre. A small fan owned miniature attraction called Mini Efteling can be found a short distance away from the actual park. Located within the city itself is Zoo De Oliemeulen, a small family run animal attraction housing over 1,000 different animals.


Transport

Tilburg has three railway stations: Tilburg (Centraal), Tilburg Universiteit and Tilburg Reeshof. The latter was built to connect the then-latest district of Tilburg, the Reeshof. 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, 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
Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
. The city experimented from 2005 to 2008 with free public transport for children and 55+ people. Before Arriva, the buses were operated by Veolia, and before that by BBA (abbreviation for Brabants(ch)e Buurtspoorwegen en Autobussen). The city is also served by an hourly bus service to the Belgian city of
Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...
, operated by
De Lijn Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (, ), more commonly known as De Lijn, is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transport with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the ...
. Tilburg has an extensive
bicycle path A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. ...
network called Sternet-Routes. The first bicycle path of this network was built between the city center and the
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
in 1975. From the mid-1990s, multiple bicycle paths (rather than lanes along the road) have been built. Older lanes are paved by tiles, but newer paths are largely done with asphalt paving. 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 Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of in and is located near the A59 and N261 motorways. The villages of Capelle, Vrijhoeve-Capelle, Sprang (the former mun ...
and the A65/N65 to
's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...
. Neither is a complete motorway, and both experience bottlenecks. Various plans exist to build both to higher standards, with the N261 improved in 2015 to remove all traffic lights beyond Tilburg.


Twin towns – sister cities

Tilburg is twinned with: *
Changzhou Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhen ...
, China *
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
, Poland *
Matagalpa Matagalpa () is a city in Nicaragua which is the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 112,697 (2022 estimate), while the population of the department is 606,643. Matagalpa is Nicaragua's seventh largest city, the ...
, Nicaragua * Minamiashigara, Japan * Same, Tanzania *
Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...
, Serbia


Notable people from Tilburg


The arts

*
Gerard van Spaendonck Gerard van Spaendonck (22 March 1746 – 11 May 1822) was a Dutch Painting, 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 de ...
(1746–1822) & Cornelis van Spaendonck (1756–1839), Dutch painters * Joseph August Knip (1777–1847) & Henriëtte Geertruida Knip (1783–1842), painters *
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
(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 K ...
(1864-1930), a Dutch landscape and cityscape painter * Bernardus Weber (1912-1996), a Dutch sculptor, draughtsman, and pastellist * Theo l' Herminez (1921–1997), a Dutch painter, moved from
impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
to realism *
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, We ...
(1924–2011), a Dutch musician, conducted the winning Dutch entry to the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest *
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 According to ...
(born 1947), cinematographer *
Ruud Janssen Ruud Janssen (born 29 July 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 intern ...
(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 performance art, art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finishe ...
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 mail, postal service. It developed out of what eventually became Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence School and ...
ist * Leonard Retel Helmrich (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 t ...
(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 music, f ...
and
Star One Star One was an Indian pay television channel based in Mumbai and owned by Star TV, with worldwide distribution handled by Fox International Channels. Launched on 1 November 2004, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky in November 2006. Sta ...
* Marc-Marie Huijbregts (born 1964), a Dutch comedian, actor and TV presenter * Richard Rijnvos (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 Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...
*
Ruud Jolie Ruud Jolie (born Rudolf Adrianus Jolie on 19 April 1976) 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 the keyboards, but his pa ...
(born 1976), the lead guitarist of the
symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-genre 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 guitars ...
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 infl ...
* Tarik Azzougarh (born 1979), stage name ''
Cilvaringz Tarik Azzougarh (; 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-Tang Clan and is best known for conce ...
'', rapper affiliated with
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
* Joris Oprins (born 1980), an animation director *
Floor Jansen Floor Jansen (; born 21 February 1981) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She is the third and current lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Jansen first became known as the lead vocalist of symphonic metal band After Forever f ...
(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 Neval ...
* Daan Janzing (born 1981), producer and guitarist with the Dark rock band '' My Favorite Scar''. *
Firebeatz Firebeatz is a Dutch DJ and music production duo consisting of Tim Benjamin Smulders (; born 14 August 1985) and Jurre van Doeselaar (; born 7 July 1987). The duo formed in Tilburg in 2008, and gained fame in the EDM scene through their dance ...
, a Dutch EDM duo consisting of Tim Benjamin Smulders (born 1985) and Jurre van Doeselaar (born 1987) *
Bassjackers Bassjackers is a Dutch electronic music production and DJ duo consisting of Marlon Flohr & Ralph van Hilst. Marlon is the more outspoken member of the duo whereas Ralph takes care of "behind-the-scenes" production.Maxim Anokhin (born 1988), a Ukrainian-Dutch music producer and DJ, known as Limewax, who relocated to Tilburg at the age of 11


Public thinking & public service

* Bl. Peerke Donders (1807–1887), Roman Catholic missionary, cared for the lepers of Batavia,
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 ...
; beatified in 1982. *
Franciscus Janssens Franciscus Janssens OCist (born Albert Henri Lucien; 20 February 1881 – 23 April 1950) was the 76th General Abbot of the Common Observance between 1927 and 1936. Career He entered in 1901 to Achel Abbey The Trappist Abbey of Achel or Sain ...
(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 Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister o ...
(1896–1980), a Dutch politician and jurist * Norbert Schmelzer (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 was a member of the House of Representatives from 2012 to 2013, and again from 2014 to 2021. Having served as t ...
(born 1950), a Dutch journalist, publisher, entrepreneur and politician * Yvonne van Rooy (born 1951), a retired Dutch politician, MEP, diplomat and businesswoman * Roger van Boxtel (born 1954), a retired Dutch politician, now CEO of Dutch Railways


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, directin ...
(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. Education Dijksterhuis studied mathematics at the University of Groningen from 1911 to 1918. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "A Contri ...
(1892-1965), a Dutch historian of science * Bart le Blanc (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. He served as CEO at Genzyme from 1981 to 2011. Termeer created a business model, subsequently adopted by others in the industry, based o ...
(1946–2017), a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur * Jozien Bensing (born 1950), a Dutch clinical psychologist and academic *
Marc van Roosmalen Marc van Roosmalen (born 23 June 1947) is a Dutch-Brazilian primatologist. He was elected as one of the "Heroes for the Planet" by ''Time'' magazine in 2000. His research has led to the identification of several new monkey species, as well as o ...
(born 1947), Dutch Brazilian primatologist (elected as one of the "Heroes of the Planet" by
Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
in 2000) * Marijn Dekkers (born 1957), a former pharmaceutical businessman, CEO of
Bayer AG Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's ...
2010 to 2016 * Caroline Nevejan (born 1958), Chief Science Officer with the City of Amsterdam * Ron Heeren (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, t ...
* Michael van Poppel (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 profes ...
(1906–1979), track cyclist, team silver medallist at 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 ...
* Toon Becx (1920−2013), a Dutch footballer with 329 caps with Willem II * Toon Ebben (1930–2011), a Dutch equestrian, competed 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 ...
*
Toon van Helfteren Anton J. J. "Toon" van Helfteren (born 20 February 1951) is a Dutch former basketball player and current coach. Van Helfteren played in the Dutch Basketball League from 1971 till 1990. He was the coach of ZZ Leiden from 2008 till 2014. He also w ...
(born 1951), a Dutch former basketball player, current coach of
Feyenoord Basketball Rotterdam City 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 Kuip in Rotterdam. Established in 1954, it became the basketball ...
and coach of the Dutch national basketball team 2013 to 2019. * Bud Brocken (born 1957), a Dutch former professional footballer with 512 club caps * Anita Staps (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 Association football, football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, Jylland, that plays in the Danish 1st Division, 1st division, the sec ...
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. As a kickboxer, he fought 16 times, winning the first 14 matches by knockout, 13 in the first round ...
(born 1965), a Dutch-American actor and retired mixed martial artistIMDb 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. He is widely considered one of the greatest kickboxe ...
(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 Field hockey at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summ ...
(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 60 ...
and
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were 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 60 ...
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 (born 1989), a field hockey player, team gold and silver medallist at the
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
*
Benito van de Pas Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a former Dutch professional darts player who formerly competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Van de Pas obtained a PDC Tour Card in 2014 and won three ranking Players Championship e ...
(born 1993) is a Dutch darts player *
Jackie Groenen Jackie Noëlle Groenen (born 17 December 1994) is a Dutch professional Association football, footballer and former judoka who plays as a midfielder for Première Ligue club Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (women), Paris Saint-Germain and the Netherland ...
(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, called: ''Paleis-Raadhuis''


See also

* Textures * Jewish Tilburg * Brabantian * Villa Mariënhof


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant