Eindhoven is a town south of the Netherlands and like many places around here it has centuries of history. It is well south, in fact its name translated means something like final yards, so you can imagine a place that was once hidden.
Now that you know that Eindhoven is in the Netherlands, how about I tell you what to see in eindhoven?
Eindhoven
As I said before it is in the south of the netherlands and its history dates back to the first half of the thirteenth century when city rights were granted to it, which, at that time, was a small and remote town where the Gender and Dommel canals met.
At that time the houses did not reach 200, there was a castle and a protective wall that over time was expanded. It was not exempt from attacks and looting, nor from raging fires or Spanish occupations that lasted over time.
What forever marked the development of the city was the Industrial Revolution since the means of transport were improved allowing its connection with many other sites. Its industrial activity was concentrated on tobacco and textiles, but later, thanks to the now multinational Philips, expanded into the field of electronics and lighting. A fact: Philips was founded in 1891.
Then heavy transport would come with the company DAF y by the end of the XNUMXth century, Eindhoven was already one of the great cities of the Netherlands.
What to see in Eindhoven
The city is considered today the Dutch design capital and has a lot to learn. In fact, it is estimated that at least 25 thousand people visit it per week. So what can and should we see on our visit?
El Strattumseind or Stratum, to dry, is the longest night street in the country but it also has a 225 meter long dockor known by the name of Benelux: there are 54 restaurants and cafeterias and it is here where those 25 thousand visitors a week tend to be concentrated. This is where the traditional "brown pubs" are, on Wilhelminaplein. At night it vibrates with people and fun.
But we said at the beginning that it was a city dedicated to design and you can see that in the Van Abbemuseum & designhuis. The first is one of the most important museums in Europe, dedicated to contemporary and modern art with works by Kandinsky, Mondriaan Picasso and Chagall. The second is the stage and meeting point for innovation and design.
El Van Abbemuseum works in a very interesting designed building and contains more than 2700 pieces of art, including art installations, video art, and some art from the United States, Germany, and Eastern Europe. It also has a cafeteria and a souvenir shop. You can find it on Bilderdijklaan 10, and it opens from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm, closing on April 27, December 25 and January 1. You can buy the ticket online.
For his part, daf museum It honors a truck manufacturer, the largest in Europe since it was founded in 1928. It's a super popular museum in the South of Holland, a testament to local ingenuity with open workshops and displays of the vehicles made over the long company life. It has a restaurant and a shop inside. You can find it on Tongelresestraat 27.
Continuing with the museums, if it is your thing, I can recommend the PSV Eindhoven Museum, dedicated to the obsession that this city has with the football.The club turned one hundred years old in 2014 and you can learn about its history here. It is on Stadionplein street, 4.
Another museum that may be interesting is the Philips Museum and Collection, located near where Gerard Philips made his first incandescent light bulb in the late XNUMXth century. It is an ultra modern museum with an exemplary tour of the life of the company. Don't miss Mission Eureka, an interactive game that includes puzzles and trivia games.
The Philips Collection is also inside, an art collection dating from the 20s of the last century with more than 3 works from around the world. It is on 31 Emmasingel Street. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm and on school holidays in the Netherlands it is also open on Mondays. There are several dates in the year that it is closed so take a look at their website before you go.
Finally, the smallest museum in Eindhoven, but at the same time one of the most interesting, is the inkijkmuseum. It works out of an old laundry and linen factory and his art exhibits always have their own. the same the Ton Smits Huis, dedicated to one of the most famous national comic artists.
If museums are not your thing but you like old buildings, you can come to see the Church of Santa Catalina. It is not a medieval church but it has its good years: it was built in 1867 in neo-Gothic style and replaces an older church from the XNUMXth century that suffered a lot of damage throughout history. Today it is restored and incorporated into the current structure. has two French Gothic style towers 73 meters high each, Mary and David. And inside the church there are colorful stained glass windows and two beautiful organs, one with almost 5.800 pipes. This beautiful church is on 1 Catharinaplein.
Eindhoven is a city that is also linked to the figure of the plastic artist Vincent Van Gogh. On the outskirts of Eindhoven, just eight kilometers to the northeast, there is a picturesque village that looks like something out of a Grimm Brothers tale: Nuenen. It is very famous because Van Gogh included it in his art and because here he lived between 1883 and 1885. He did it in a pastor's house that luckily has been fully restored.
Here works the vincentre, a new attraction dedicated to the artist and his time in the village. There are many walks that follow in his footsteps that you can undertake. They all follow a kind of Outdoor museum that takes you to know the more than 20 locations around the village that have to do with Van Gogh. And you can complement them with an audio guide.
Another of the attractions that appears on our list of what to see in Eindhoven is the replica of the prehistoric village: prehistoric Dorp. Here you can learn about ancient techniques and see how people lived back then, but also later in time, in the time of the Romans and even in the Middle Ages. Once this part of the country was 100% farmers and herders, no electricity or trucks, and the open-air museum is a window into that past.
The truth is that Eindhoven is a beautiful place, with a lot of green, so visitors can always take time to rest. One of the most popular places to do it is the Gennep parking, on the valley formed by the rivers Dommel and Tongelreep. Today is a nature conservation area and there are many well-marked trails to hike.
Another park is the City Park or Stadswanderlpar, with 30 sculptures and monuments, including one that recalls the first radio broadcast made in the Netherlands in 1927.
And if you want animals, then there is the Zoo Dierenrijk, especially for children. So far the most interesting and recommended in the list of what to see in Endhoven Of course, later, depending on the time of year, you will run into various festivals so before you go you can see if any of them are interesting to you.
if it's your first time It is best to stay in the center of the city. because most of the most popular attractions are in this more compact area of the city and you can walk there.