Although at first sight Eindhovenwould categorize as a modern city, it still has about 140 national monuments. The number is particularly high in the ‘de Bergen’ district. In this part of the city is also the Wilhelminaplein which is known for its ‘brown’ bars. The Philips company is inextricably linked with the city of Eindhoven. Even if it is just that this company of, among other things, lamps, medical equipment and electronics is the main sponsor of the Eindhoven football club PSV. The name Philips is reflected in various places. Their first light bulb factory is in this city, although it now serves as a museum. The influence of Philips in developing technologies can still be felt on the High Tech Campus of the city.
The number of parks, museums, art objects and historical sights make for a lively and pleasant city with much to do and experience. For example, Park Hilaria takes place here every summer. This temporary amusement park including disco and beer garden offers fun for young and old. In addition to the many fairground attractions and eateries, there are regular live performances by various artists. For circus enthusiasts, there is even the Circo Circolo with unique performances.
Top 10 things to do in Eindhoven
#1. Stripe S
According to Ehistorylib.com, the most hip and creative part of Eindhoven is located on the former Philips site just outside the center: Strijp-S. Whereas before 2004 you only entered with a pass intended for that purpose, the former ‘forbidden city’ is now accessible to everyone. Old factories and offices nowadays serve as residential complex with trendy lofts, as a restaurant, as a shop, as a hotel, as a BMX park or as a discovery factory. In addition, the squares and streets are used for events such as the Dutch Design Week, the Feelgood Market and much more. You can then enjoy good food in restaurants such as Radio Royal or in the Ketelhuis, where they still play old-fashioned vinyl records. Area 51 is all about ‘Urban Sports and Culture’. Come here and enjoy skateboarding, work on cool street art projects or dance to the hippest music.
#2. Van Abbe Museum
The Van Abbemuseum is a museum for contemporary art. Here you can see a variety of works by Picasso, Chagall, McCarthy and Lissitzky, among others. Due to the international diversity and exchange of knowledge, you will find a lot of inspiration and incentives here to think about different topics. The visitor is regularly involved in an exhibition in a sometimes very special way.
#3. Philips Museum
The Philips Museum is located on Emmasingel. Every Dutch person probably knows that this manufacturer is mainly known for its light bulbs. Later the company expanded and today they are an important player when it comes to developments in technology and the production of consumer electronics, medical and communication equipment. During your visit to this museum, everything will be explained clearly and clearly. It is very special to see how quickly all the developments have followed each other and still do.
#4. Saint Catherine’s Church
Eindhoven does not have that many buildings that date from before the industrial revolution. Saint Catherine’s Church is one of the few exceptions. This is probably the most beautiful national monument in Eindhoven. The Roman Catholic church was built in 1861. The design came from the architect Pierre Cuypers, who is also responsible for, among other things, the design of the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Central Station. Very special about St. Catherine’s Church are the two 73-metre towers. Although the church survived the Second World War reasonably well, a number of restorations had to take place. The chimes, which is officially called carillon.
#5. evolution
In 1966 the Evoluon was opened in Eindhoven. The permanent exhibition that took place here served as a showcase for technological progress. It mainly revolved around the aspects of this in which Philips, originally from Eindhoven, was involved. In the early years, the Evoluon was a real success. Thousands of people have visited the technology museum. Due to rising competition in the eighties and difficult economic times for Philips, the museum is closed. What remains is a futuristically designed building in the shape of a flying saucer. Today the Evoluon is used as a conference and events center.
#6. DAF Museum
When you talk about Eindhoven and technology, don’t forget the DAF brand. Since its foundation in 1932, this truck and former car manufacturer has meant a lot to Eindhoven and the Netherlands. In numbers, it is the largest Dutch car brand ever. Furthermore, DAF is known for the automatic gearbox that they invented: the Variomatic, which is also known by the nickname ‘The Smart Pookje’. Thanks to this technique, the DAFs became the fastest cars in the world… when it came to reversing. The DAFs could drive backwards just as fast as they drive forwards. This gave rise to the popular reversing races in the 1970s and 1980s on the television program ‘ On land, at sea and in the air’. Large numbers of DAFs ended up on the scrap heap as a result.
Fortunately, you can still admire a lot of excellent cars, trucks and other DAF vehicles in the DAF museum. For example, the DAF Kini, designed in 1966, with which King Willem Alexander and Princess Amalia drove through Eindhoven during King’s Day 2021. The DAF Museum is highly recommended, especially for people who have seen the DAF in the streets in the past.
#7. Prehistoric Village
The PreHistorisch Dorp is the open-air museum where you can experience the past by exploring. Travel 15,000 years back in time. Experience six eras from prehistory to the late Middle Ages in prehistoric Village. Discover how the Romans lived, meet warlike Batavians, visit Iron Age farmers and go hunting in prehistoric times. Old crafts are revived in age-old farms, half-timbered houses and farms.
#8. Ton Smits House
Ton Smit Park is part of the Genneper Parks. Ton Smit was the first Dutch cartoonist with international fame. In addition, he has used his creativity to create paintings. The prestigious ‘Golden Palm’ prize was won by him in 1964 with his creation ‘het chick’. After his death, he left part of his painting skills to the community that set up the Ton Smits Foundation for this purpose. His former studio home now serves as a museum for his beautiful works. Especially if you are interested in cartoons you should visit the Ton Smits Huis.
#9. Blob and Bubble
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Eindhoven was a modest town. Due to the enormous growth of Philips and the annexation in 1920 of a number of surrounding municipalities, the city experienced a significant growth spurt in the last century. As a result, Eindhoven has more to do with modern architecture than there are a large number of important monumental buildings from before the nineteenth century. It is precisely the modern and often industrial design that gives Eindhoven its character. Right in the center of the city, Blob and Bubble are two great examples of this. You can see the Blob architecture in these two largely glass buildings. This young architectural style makes for almost surreal buildings.
#10. Silly Walks
In a young hip student city like Eindhoven you will be confronted with different forms of street art in various places. Just cycle around and you’ll see what we mean. There is one project in particular with which we want to conclude these top 10 highlights of Eindhoven: the Silly Walks tunnel. This is a pedestrian and cyclist tunnel located just east of Eindhoven Central train station. Graffiti artists Niels van Swaemen and Kaspar van Leek have depicted the various ‘silly walks’ that actor John Cleese regularly showed in the Monty Python films.
