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Bergen op Zoom

Bergen op Zoom (called Berrege in the local dialect) is a city and municipality in southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the province of North Brabant, at the provincial border with Zeeland. In January 2021, the municipality had a population of 67,514.

Etymology
The city was built on a site where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil pushed against the marine clay, accumulating and forming hills over several centuries. People called those hills the Brabantse Wal, literally meaning "ramparts of Brabant". Zoom refers to the border of these ramparts and bergen in Dutch means mountains or hills. The name has nothing to do with the little channel, the Zoom, which was later built through Bergen op Zoom.

History
Bergen op Zoom was granted city status probably in 1212. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a lordship as it was separated from the lordship of Breda. The lordship was elevated to a margraviate in 1559. Several noble families, including the House of Glymes, ruled Bergen op Zoom in succession until 1795, although the title was only nominal since at least the seventeenth century.

During the early modern period, Bergen op Zoom was a very strong fortress and one of the main armories and arsenals of the United Provinces. It had a remarkable natural defensive site, surrounded as it was by marshes and easily flooded polders. Furthermore, it could receive reinforcements and supplies by sea, if the besieging army did not have a fleet to blockade its port.

Due to these features, the city was one of the strategic points held by the Dutch during their revolt in the Eighty Years War, beginning in the late sixteenth century. It was at that time besieged by Alessandro Farnese first in 1588, and by Ambrosio Spinola a second time in 1622. Both sieges were unsuccessful, and Bergen op Zoom got the nickname La Pucelle or The Virgin as it was never successfully taken in a siege.

In 1747, during the War of the Austrian Succession, the French army laid siege to the city. Bergen op Zoom had been fortified by new works built at the beginning of the 17th century by Menno van Coehoorn, with three forts surrounding the city and a canalized diversion of the Scheldt acting as a ditch around its walls. However, it had no second line of fortifications, nor any fortress. After seventy days of siege, the city was taken and thoroughly sacked; the garrison was slaughtered.

During the War of the Sixth Coalition, the town was again besieged by the British in March 1814 in a failed attempt to dislodge the French garrison.

Trading town
During the reign of Jan II van Glymes (1417–1494), nicknamed "Jan metten Lippen" (meaning "Jan with the big lips", probably caused by an infection), a surge in economic growth occurred in the city. Large fairs were held twice a year, in spring and fall, that were known both nationally and internationally. Merchants from all over Europe came to Bergen op Zoom to sell their goods.

Because of this major economic growth, the Sint-Gertrudischurch was enlarged. The enlargement was called the Nieuw Werck but was never finished, because of the economic recession of the mid-16th century. It fell into ruin. The economic recession was largely caused by the poor accessibility of the port, due to a number of floods in Zeeland and West-Brabant. Because of the great reliance on the port, the economic growth received a major blow. In addition, the modernization of trade techniques, such as establishing of a permanent stock exchange instead of the fairs, which took place twice a year, also damaged the local economy.

The fairs continued until 1910. Despite the end of the two big fairs, Bergen op Zoom still hosts all kinds of smaller fairs and events.

Religion
During the Eighty Years' War, Bergen op Zoom chose the side of the Dutch Republic, and, simultaneously, Protestantism. The Catholics of the city either adapted or moved to the surrounding countryside, which remained largely Catholic. The inhabitants who chose to stay Catholic went to church in secret barns and houses, since the local Sint-Getrudischurch was assigned to the Protestant community.

Slowly, most of the city council members of Bergen op Zoom became Protestant. Protestants dominated the council until the 18th century. After that, the number of Catholics in Bergen op Zoom increased and, during the second part of the 18th century, a majority of Bergen op Zoom's population was Catholic again. Although the Catholics enjoyed religious freedom during the French period in 1795–1814, their emancipation did not take place until later.

In 1832, a Catholic parish, the ‘Heilige Maagd ten Ophemeling’, was allowed to have its own church. In the same period, the Jewish community built a synagogue for their use.

In 1972, the Protestant community, after the loss of many members, gave the Sint-Getrudischurch to the Catholic parish. Since the return of the Church, Catholic services have been held here again.

As a result of Turkish and Moroccan immigration to the Netherlands, the city has a significant Muslim minority.

Population centres

 * Bergen op Zoom (population: 65,691, July 2006)
 * Heimolen
 * Halsteren (11,410)
 * Lepelstraat (2,070)
 * Kladde

City of Bergen op Zoom
The Markiezenhof Palace, built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, houses a cultural centre and a museum with a picturesque courtyard, paintings, period rooms, and temporary exhibitions. SABIC Innovative Plastics operates a major manufacturing facility in Bergen op Zoom. Philip Morris was another major employer until it closed its plant in 2014.

Transport

 * Bergen op Zoom railway station

The arts

 * Jacob Obrecht (1457–1505) composer, mainly of sacred music
 * Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) humanist, philosopher, author
 * Abel Grimmer (1570–1619) a Flemish late Renaissance painter, mainly of landscapes
 * Gerrit Houckgeest (1600–1661) a Dutch Golden Age painter of architectural scenes and church interiors
 * Bartram de Fouchier (1609–1673) a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn (1612–1653) historian, author and scholar
 * Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1613–1654) a Flemish Baroque painter
 * Pieter van der Willigen (1634–1694) a Flemish Baroque painter
 * Govert-Marinus Augustijn (1871–1963) a Dutch Art Nouveau potter
 * Kees Smout (1876–1961) a Dutch sculptor
 * Anton van Duinkerken (1903–1968) a Dutch poet, essayist and academic
 * Louis Boekhout (1919–2012) a Dutch painter who emigrated to Québec, Canada
 * Pleuni Touw (born 1938) a Dutch film, television and theatre actress
 * Adriaan Ditvoorst (1940–1987) a Dutch film director, screenwriter
 * Cornald Maas (born 1967) a Dutch television presenter
 * Martin Fondse (born 1967) a Dutch pianist and composer who plays the vibrandoneon
 * Bob van Luijt (born 1985) a Dutch technology entrepreneur, technologist and new media artist
 * Julia Boschman (born 2002) a Dutch singer in famous girl group K3

Public thinking and public service

 * Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten (1755–1801) last Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
 * Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen (1757–1824) vice-admiral of the Royal Netherlands Navy
 * Jacob Van Braam (1729–1792) a soldier of fortune, swordmaster and mercenary.
 * Gillis Pieter de Neve (1823–1883) commander of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
 * Albert Vogel (1874–1933) a Dutch Army officer and teacher
 * Peter Sitsen (1885–1945) a military officer, building contractor and public servant in colonial Indonesia
 * Ed Nijpels (born 1950) a retired Dutch politician
 * Virginie Korte-van Hemel (1929–2014) a Dutch politician
 * Bernard de Wit (born 1945) a Dutch theoretical physicist and academic
 * Paul Schnabel (born 1948) a Dutch sociologist, academic and politician
 * Wim Crusio (born 1954) a Dutch behavioral neurogeneticist and academic
 * Fatma Koşer Kaya (born 1968) a Dutch lawyer and politician of Turkish origin

Sports

 * Reindert de Favauge (1872–1949) a sport shooter, competed at the 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics
 * Henk Kersken (1880–1967) a sailor who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
 * Barent Momma (1897–1936) a modern pentathlete, competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics
 * Willem van Rhijn (1903–1979) a modern pentathlete, competed at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics
 * Janus van der Zande (1924–2016) a marathon runner, competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics
 * Maarten Sikking (1948–2009) a field hockey goalkeeper, competed at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics
 * Rico Verhoeven (born 1989) a kickboxer

Twin towns — sister cities
Bergen op Zoom is twinned with:
 * 🇧🇪 Oudenaarde, Belgium
 * 🇵🇱 Szczecinek, Poland

title: Bergen op Zoom


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Bernheze

Bernheze is a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. It was formed as a rename of Heesch in 1995. The municipalities of Heeswijk-Dinther and Nistelrode had merged into Heesch in 1994.

Etymology
The municipality was named after an old farm "Bernhese", which came into the possession of the Berne Abbey. This abbey was situated in the village of Bern. The meaning of 'Bernhese' is twofold: 'Bern' is the same as the old-Dutch word 'born', that means 'water' or 'well'. 'Hese' means bush or forest. In 1857 the Berne Abbey was founded in Heeswijk.

Population centres
• Heesch

• Heeswijk

• Dinther

• Loosbroek

• Nistelrode

• Vorstenbosch

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Bernheze, June 2015.

Notable people

 * Marco Verkuylen (born 1967 in Heeswijk-Dinther) a Dutch electronic music DJ who works as Marco V
 * Loek van Wely (born 1972 in Heesch) a Dutch chess player and politician

Sport

 * Kirsten van de Ven (born 1985 in Heesch) a former Dutch professional footballer
 * Raymon van der Biezen (born 1987 in Heesch) a Dutch BMX racer, competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Dave van der Burg (born 1993 in Heesch) a Dutch male BMX rider, qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics
 * Vincent Janssen (born 1994 in Heesch) a Dutch professional footballer who plays in Mexico
 * Sjef van den Berg (born 1995 in Heeswijk-Dinther) a Dutch competitive archer, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bernheze


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Best, Netherlands

Best is a municipality and a village in the province of North Brabant, southern Netherlands. It is situated northwest of the city Eindhoven, and is part of Brabant's city region.

The headquarters of one of Europe's largest meat processors, Vion NV, are located in Best, as are Philips Healthcare and the Bata Corporation's "Bata Protective" operations (B2B).

History
The village used to be a part of Oirschot, a nearby town. But as Best was situated on the state road from Amsterdam to Maastricht, this often created difficulties. Each time the military wanted to quarter troops in Best, they had to request to be stationed in Oirschot, 10 km away, for this to be allowed. Because of this difficulty, the government decided to separate Best from Oirschot in 1819.

Archaeological excavations around the village suggest settlement in the area dating back to the Roman era. The Armenhoef is a monumental farm on the Oirschotseweg 117 in Best. This stable is the oldest still in use within Western Europe. Historical building research in 2009 showed that the wooden frame of the stable dates back to 1263. The residential part of the farm is more recent, and was built in 1640 at the earliest, but probably around 1680. The farm is an official monument. The first written text about Best dates back to 1421.

The village itself, however, did not exist until the 19th century. There were three small villages: Naastenbest in the west, Wilhelminadorp in the south and Verrenbest where Oranjestraat is located. They grew together, and formed the village with the name Best.

Best received a railway station on the line Rotterdam – Breda – Boxtel – Helmond – Venlo – Maastricht. The line had only one track, but traffic congestion necessitated another track, so it was made double-tracked. In the 1980s, congestion once again became a problem so two more tracks were added in 2002. It is now possible to travel to Best from Utrecht or Eindhoven by train.

The spoken language is North Meierijs (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).

Population centres
• Aarle

• Batadorp

• De Vleut

• Dijkstraten

• Heikant

• Heivelden

• Heuveleind

• Hoge Akker

• Kantonnier

• Koekoeksbos

• Naastenbest

• Oud-Best

• Salderes

• Speelheide

• Steegsche velden (Construction)

• Wilhelminadorp

Transport
For train transport, see Best railway station.

One can take bus number 9 from Eindhoven central station to Best, or bus numbers 141/142 from Tilburg central station to Best.

Notable people

 * José Hoebee (born 1954 in Best) Dutch pop singer and member of girl group Luv'
 * Rob Kemps (born 1985 in Best) cabaret artist and artist of Snollebollekes
 * Ralf Mackenbach (born 1995 in Best) Dutch singer and dancer, winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Sport

 * Eric Swinkels (born 1949 in Best) sports shooter and silver medallist at the 1976 Summer Olympics
 * Hans Stacey (born 1958 in Best) Dutch rally driver
 * Peter Aerts (born 1970) Dutch semi-retired super heavyweight kickboxer, trained in Best
 * Jesse Mahieu (born 1978 in Best) field hockey defender and team silver medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics
 * Dennis Retera (born 1986 in Best) Dutch racing driver
 * Roel van de Sande (born 1987 in Best) Dutch professional footballer with 250 club caps

title: Best, Netherlands


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Bladel

Bladel is a municipality and town in the province of North Brabant, Southern Netherlands. In 2019, it had a population of 20,175.

Population centres
• Bladel

• Casteren

• Hapert

• Hoogeloon

• Netersel

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Bladel, 2013.

Notable residents

 * Jan Renier Snieders (1812 in Bladel – 1888) a Flemish writer
 * August Snieders (1825 in Bladel – 1904) a Flemish journalist and writer
 * Corky de Graauw (born 1951 in Bladel) a former Dutch ice hockey player, competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics
 * Alain van Katwijk (born 1979 in Bladel) a former Dutch cyclist
 * Roy Beerens (born 1987 in Bladel) a Dutch professional footballer with 320 club caps

title: Bladel


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Boekel

Boekel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.

Etymology
Previously it was assumed the name Boekel referred to the forest ("loo" in Dutch) of the lords Boc, similar to places like Boxmeer and Boxtel. The lords Boc were the first lords of Boxmeer, but have no connection to the other two places.

Currently, it is presumed that the name derives from Beukeloo, which is a type of beech forest.

Population centres

 * Boekel
 * Huize Padua
 * Venhorst

Land van Herpen
Boekel was founded at some point in the Middle Ages as a settlement with a number of farms.

In the 13th century Boekel was part of de heerlijkheid Uden. In 1233 a separation took place between the Land van Cuijk and the and Uden. At that time Uden, together with Herpen, formed a unit of government called a heerlijkheid. Until the foundation of the city of Ravenstein, Herpen was the main city of this region. Rutger van Herpen sold or leased in 1313 or 1314 the community rights (gemene gronden) to the residents of Boekel and Volkel. When the noble lord wanted to improve his cash position, he charged the use of any of its soil, beginning with the wasteland in his heerlijkheid. This common land was mainly marshy land and barren higher grounds, such as heaths.

Land of Ravenstein
In 1324 the heerlijkheid of Uden administratively belonged to the Land of Ravenstein, under the rule of the House of Valkenburg until 1396.

From the aldermen Herpen and Uden the Heikantsgericht was created in 1339. These stretched across the entire former heerlijkheid of Uden, consisting of Uden, Boekel and Zeeland. Of these aldermen, which in total had seven members, two were from Boekel.

Reinoud of Valkenburg (married to Elisabeth van Kleef) died childless so the Duke of Brabant Adolf van Kleef gained Herpen, Ravenstein and Uden, so in 1397 Kleef's territory was enlarged. Afterwards the area came under the rule of Neuburg-Palts in 1629. Under the Neubergers' rule, the area had religious freedom.

Because the neighboring provinces of Brabant and Gelderland from 1648 officially fell under the States-General, this more and more was seen as "foreign". The religious freedom provided opportunities for Catholics in the States of Brabant. The Catholics of Erp built their own barn church on the border with Boekel. Due to the religious freedom several Catholic religious orders also settled in the Land of Ravenstein. In 1741 members of the Brothers Penitent, from the Handelse Kluis themselves wanted to settle in Boekel. Led by the brothers laid the foundation for the Psychiatric Hospital Huize Padua.

From the 17th century various conflicts arose among the villages of Boekel, Uden and Gemert around the demarcation lines between the Ravenstein, Cuijk and Gemert areas. In 1663 the boundary dispute with the Vrije Heerlijkheid Gemert was settled. In 1729, a similar problem with Uden was settled.

Notable people

 * Hans Gruyters (1925 in Boekel – 1980) a Dutch criminal, bankrobber, burglar and escaped convict
 * Leontien van Moorsel (born 1970 in Boekel) a Dutch retired racing cyclist, four time gold medallist at the 2000 & 2004 Olympic Games
 * Mirella van Melis (born 1979 in Venhorst) a retired female track and road racing cyclist
 * Hannes van Asseldonk (born 1992 in Boekel) is a Dutch racing driver

title: Boekel


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Boxmeer

Boxmeer is a town and former municipality in upper southeastern Netherlands. Boxmeer as a municipality incorporated the former municipality of Beugen en Rijkevoort and that of Vierlingsbeek.

One of the population centers of the former municipality is Overloon, where the Overloon War Museum is located.

Boxmeer, Cuijk, Grave, Mill en Sint Hubert, and Sint Anthonis merged into the new municipality of Land van Cuijk on 1 January 2022.

Topography

Population centres
The population in parts of the former municipality on 31 December 2020 was:

 * Beugen 1,860
 * Boxmeer 12,550
 * Holthees 540
 * Maashees 875
 * Oeffelt 2,370
 * Overloon, including Heikant 3,985
 * Rijkevoort 1,665
 * Sambeek 1,745
 * Vierlingsbeek, including Groeningen 3,050
 * Vortum-Mullem 705

Transport

 * Boxmeer railway station

Notable people

 * Dr Anna Terruwe (1911 in Vierlingsbeek – 2004) a Catholic psychiatrist who discovered emotional deprivation disorder
 * Joannes Gijsen (1932 in Oeffelt – 2013) a Dutch bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Roermond and Reykjavík
 * Emile Roemer (born 1962 in Boxmeer) a Dutch politician
 * Hugo van der Velden (born 1963 in Boxmeer) a Dutch art historian
 * Charles Deenen (born 1970 in Holthees) a Dutch computer/video game audio director, music composer, sound designer and mixer
 * Dionne Stax (born 1985 in Boxmeer) a Dutch journalist and newsreader

Sport

 * Sjaak Lucassen (born 1961 in Maashees) a Dutch long-distance motorcycle rider
 * Niels Fleuren (born 1986 in Boxmeer) a Dutch professional footballer with 420 club caps
 * Sander de Wijn (born 1990 in Boxmeer) a Dutch field hockey player, silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Kika van Es (born 1991 in Boxmeer) a Dutch football defender

title: Boxmeer


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Boxtel

Boxtel is a municipality and a town in southern Netherlands. The name derives from Buchestelle and is presumably a combination of 'stelle' (Dutch for stable, safe place) and (deer) buck.

This is the origin of the Van Boxtel family, which has numerous descendants in North Brabant.

The town was the site of the Battle of Boxtel fought in September 1794 during the Flanders campaign. It is often principally remembered as the first battle of the future Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley.

Population centres

 * Boxtel
 * Esch
 * Lennisheuvel
 * Liempde

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Boxtel, 2021

Notable residents

 * José van Dijck (born 1960) a new media author and academic
 * Teun Voeten (born 1961) a Dutch photojournalist and cultural anthropologist
 * Marcel Wanders (born 1963) a Dutch designer and art director
 * Dianne van Giersbergen (born 1985 in Liempde) a spinto soprano and singer-songwriter
 * Sam Feldt (born 1993) a Dutch DJ and record producer

Sport

 * Jeroen Delmee (born 1973) a field hockey player and twice Olympic champion
 * Bas van Erp (1979–2016) a Dutch wheelchair Paralympic tennis player
 * Frank van der Struijk (born 1985) a Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps
 * Michael van Gerwen (born 1989) a Dutch professional, 3-time World Darts Champion
 * Glenn Schuurman (born 1991) a Dutch field hockey player, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Silvinho Esajas (born 2002) a Dutch professional footballer

Transportation

 * Boxtel railway station

Economy
Vion NV, one of the largest European meat processors, is headquartered in Boxtel and operates its largest pig slaughterhouse there.

title: Boxtel


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Cranendonck

Cranendonck is a municipality in southern Netherlands. Though located in North Brabant near Eindhoven, the spoken dialect is Budels (linguistically a West Limburgish dialect), rather than Kempenlands (linguistically an East Brabantian dialect).

Population centres
• Budel

• Budel-Dorplein

• Budel-Schoot

• Gastel

• Heikant, Gastel

• Maarheeze

• Soerendonk

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Cranendonck, June 2015

Notable people

 * Antonius Mathijsen (1805 in Budel – 1878) a Dutch army surgeon who first used plaster of Paris
 * Hans Teeuwen (born 1967 in Budel) a Dutch comedian, musician, actor and occasional filmmaker
 * Sylvia Hoeks (born 1983 in Maarheeze) a Dutch actress and former model

Sport

 * Toine van Mierlo (born 1957 in Soerendonk) a retired Dutch footballer with 230 club caps
 * Craig Osaikhwuwuomwan (born 1990 in Budel) a Dutch professional basketball player
 * Yvon Beliën (born 1993 in Budel) is a Dutch volleyball player, helped the Netherlands reach their first Olympic semifinals at the 2016 Summer Olympics

title: Cranendonck


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Cuijk (municipality)

Cuijk is a former municipality in upper southeastern Netherlands. Cuijk, Boxmeer, Grave, Mill en Sint Hubert, and Sint Anthonis merged into the new municipality of Land van Cuijk on 1 January 2022.

The former municipality of Cuijk was established by combining the municipalities of Cuijk en Sint Agatha, Beers and Haps in 1994.

Population centres
The main population center Cuijk is of pre-historic origin. Its existence is recorded on the Roman roadmap Tabula Peutingeriana under the name of Ceuclum. It is a big commuter town with good public transport services to nearby Nijmegen. The nearest hospital is at Boxmeer and the nearest international airport is situated in the German town of Weeze. Cuijk has a railway station on the Nijmegen to Venlo railway.

Population centers and inhabitants in 2020:

 * Cuijk 18,170
 * Beers 1,680
 * Haps 2,850
 * Katwijk 395
 * Linden 270
 * Sint Agatha 495
 * Vianen 1,280

Topography

Map of the former municipality of Cuijk, 2015

Transportation

 * Cuijk railway station

Twin towns
Cuijk was twinned with

Notable people

 * Jan de Quay (1901 – 1985 in Beers) a Dutch politician and psychologist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1959/1963
 * Pieter Bogaers (1924 in Cuijk – 2008) a Dutch politician
 * Jordie van der Laan (born 1993 in Cuijk) a Dutch football player

title: Cuijk (municipality)


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Deurne, Netherlands

Deurne is a rural municipality and eponymous village in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. Including the villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Neerkant, and Helenaveen, Deurne had a population of 0 in and covers an area of undefined km2.

History
First recorded as Durninum (near / by thorns) in a deed of gift from the Frankish Lord Herelaef to bishop Willibrord in 721, Deurne remained a collection of subsistence farming hamlets west of the Peel peat moor until the 2nd half of the 19th century, when a newly built railroad (Eindhoven - Venlo in 1866) and a canal (Zuid-Willemsvaart canal in 1826) enabled the commercial exploitation of the moor. Although the peat industry did not yield much of a profit in the era of coal-powered industries, the cultivation of the newly cleared land, in the 1930s also by forced labour, gave a boost to agriculture, farming, and settlement alike. Today only tiny pieces of this former peat moor remain, some reflooded as mini wetlands, scattered along the fault line that once brought about its very existence.

Coincidentally, the very same Anglo Dutch Griendtsveen Peat Moss Litter Company Ltd. that extracted a significant part of the peat in the Peel moved to Thorne (Moorends) South Yorkshire, U.K., where several of its Dutch employees settled as immigrant workers.

Transportation

 * Deurne railway station

Culture
In 2009 the new "Cultural Centre" (cultureel centrum) opened its doors. It is the Martien van Doorne Cultuur Centrum and serves as a theatre, concert hall, and movie theatre.

The local dialect is Peellands (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).

Twin towns – Sister cities
Deurne is twinned with:

Notable people

 * Lucas Gassel (c.1488 in Deurne – 1568 or 1569) a Renaissance painter known for his landscapes
 * Aaltje Noordewier–Reddingius (1868 in Deurne – 1949) a Dutch classical soprano and voice teacher
 * Jules de Corte (1924 in Deurne – 1996) blind singer-songwriter from the Netherlands
 * Laurens van den Acker (born 1965 in Deurne) an automobile designer
 * Erik van Lieshout (born 1968 in Deurne) a Dutch contemporary artist
 * Yara Kastelijn (born 1997 in Deurne) a Dutch racing cyclist

title: Deurne, Netherlands


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Dongen

Dongen is a municipality and village in North Brabant, in the southern Netherlands. In the past it had a profitable leather industry, and a few old shoe factories in the town's older sections remain. The town is near a small river called the Donge, the water of which was used extensively for the leather industry. The Aerts automobile was built here in 1899.

Population centres

 * Dongen (population: 22,270)
 * 's Gravenmoer (2,220)
 * Vaart (500)
 * Klein-Dongen (220)

Topography

Map of the municipality of Dongen, June 2015

Politics
The municipal council consists of 21 members. The composition of the council since 2002 is below:

Notable residents

 * Theodorus Marinus Roest (1832–1898) a numismatist and conservator of the Teylers Museum
 * Laurens van Kuik (1889 in 's Gravenmoer–1963) a teacher and then an autodidact painter.
 * Karel Willemen (born 1967) a Dutch designer, contributed to the fantasy-themed amusement park Efteling
 * Kelly van Zon (born 1987) a table tennis player
 * Nadine Broersen (born 1990) a track-and-field athlete in the heptathlon and high jump
 * Anne Haast (born 1993) chess player, Woman Grandmaster
 * Job van Uitert (born 1998) racing driver

title: Dongen


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Drimmelen

Drimmelen is a municipality and a town in southern Netherlands, in the province North Brabant.

A large portion of the Biesbosch National Park is part of this municipality.

Population centres
Towns:
 * Made (population: 11,710)
 * Terheijden (6,410)
 * Lage Zwaluwe (4,060)
 * Wagenberg (2,250)
 * Hooge Zwaluwe (1,670)
 * Drimmelen (570)

Hamlets (population data concerning these hamlets is included in the population data of the towns near which they are located):
 * Blauwe Sluis
 * Oud-Drimmelen
 * Helkant

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Drimmelen, June 2015.

Transportation
The Lage Zwaluwe railway station is situated on the Breda–Rotterdam railway and the railway to Roosendaal.

Notable people

 * Godfried Schalcken (1643 in Made – 1706) a Dutch genre and portrait painter
 * Pieter Rudolph Kleijn (1785 in Hooge Zwaluwe – 1816) a 19th-century landscape painter
 * Petrus van Schendel (1806 in Terheijden - 1870) a Dutch-Belgian Romantic style genre painter
 * Johannes Gijsbert Vogel (1828 in Hooge Zwaluwe – 1915) a Dutch landscape painter
 * Antal van den Bosch (born 1969 in Made) a Dutch-language researcher and former academic

Sport

 * Kees Pellenaars (1913 in Terheijden – 1988) a Dutch road cyclist and coach
 * Antoon van Schendel (1918 in Lage Zwaluwe — 1990) a Dutch professional road bicycle racer.
 * Wim Hofkens (born 1958 in Made) a former football player with 474 club caps
 * Gianni Romme (born 1973 in Lage Zwaluwe) a Dutch marathon runner and a former long track speed skater, won two gold medals at the 1998 Winter Olympics
 * Hans Horrevoets (born 1974 in Made – 2006) a Dutch sea sailor
 * Tim Lips (born 1985 in Made) a Dutch eventer, competed at the 2008 and the 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Pieter Braun (born 1993 in Terheijden) is a Dutch decathlon athlete, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics

title: Drimmelen


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Eersel

Eersel is a municipality and a town in southern Netherlands in the province of North Brabant. Eersel is situated in the Campine (Kempen) area.

Eersel is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Beatitudes) and known for its attractive market. This market, together with the Hint, has been declared a protected village on 19 October 1967. This has been done to guarantee the future survival of its authentic character.

The spoken language is Kempenlands (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).

Population centres
• Duizel

• Eersel

• Knegsel

• Steensel

• Vessem

• Wintelre

History
About 3,500 years ago the first inhabitants of the area of Eersel were builders of sepulchre hillocks or burial mounds of the Tumulus culture. Following them in the late Bronze Age the people of the Urnfield culture continued living there as has been proved by the urn with cremating ashes that has been found in ‘Schadewijk’. Before the Romans occupied this area, which they called Toxandria, the Eburones lived here. From the Roman period there are also archaeological finds. Many shards of Roman pottery are found between the church of Eersel and the hamlet ‘Schadewijk’. The Salian Franks that settled the area in the 4th century became known as Toxandrians. After the Roman time the region has been virtually depopulated.

The Franks established themselves round 700 again in the region. They lived where high and lower grounds were laying close to each other. One of those high grounds was Ereslo. As from this time there is a form of government authority in this area. The Franks build their farms around a triangular square. This kind of settlement was called a domain which was the property of the high nobility of the Franks.

The oldest known written indication of Eersel is found in the manuscript Codex Aureus of Echternach (or Liber Aureus) of the Abbey of Echternach. In this document is a charter included in which a certain Aengilbertus, son of late Gaobertus, with approval of his brother Verengaotus gives the property of the domain Eresloch to Saint Willibrord. In this registration of the year 712 the name of ‘Ereslo’ was transferred wrong to ‘Eresloch’. Wilibrord on his behalve gave the heritage to the Abbey of Echternach in Luxembourg. To approximately in the year 1000 Eersel belonged to the county of Taxandria. Hereafter it came under the influence of earl of Guelders. The Earl of Leuven extends its area to the north and in 1203 the region definitively became a part of Brabant. Trading started to develop and Eersel became a cross point for the routes of Leuven and 's-Hertogenbosch and of Antwerp and Turnhout. The triangular court of the village 'Hint' (now still visible), was extended in southern direction. The new oval square became ‘de Markt’ (the Market) constructed for the trade as a parking place for carts. Around arose the characteristic buildings for digest and boardinghouses such as taverns. But also stables for horses with the requirements like a blacksmith. In 1325 Eersel obtained the rights of ‘freedom’ (Town privileges) from Duke Jan III of Brabant. On this basis the inhabitants could designate as of now their own governor. Eersel became the head of regional schepenbank of Hapert, Hoogeloon, Vessem, Knegsel, Steensel, Bergeijk, Westerhoven, Dommelen en Borkel en Schaft.

Around the 14th century Eersel became prosperous and the monumental tower of Eersel was built, together with those of Steensel and Duizel. In 1464 between the market and ‘het Hint’ a chapel was built in Eersel.

After the Middle Ages the region became more poorly and the villages did not grow between 1500 and 1800. This is the period of the ‘Teuten’ a traveling trading people, who were touring from village to village with artisan and merchant services, like coppersmith, wig-maker, also some veterinary surgeon like horse, ram, bull and pig castrating, and trade in goods like pottery, kitchen-utensil, bed-clothes, linen, lace, silk and other textile manufactures. They were no gypsies but build their homes in a central place like Eersel and traveled to other regions and lands from there. One of the remainder of this time are the houses of the ‘Teuten’ at the market. In 1800 at the time of King Willem I there came some improvement. The provincial road to Eindhoven and the road to Postel was hardened and a steam tram railway was manufactured. (1897)

In 1923 Eersel absorbed the former municipality of Duizel en Steensel. Since 1900 the reclaiming of cleared bush ground had taken place and the rise of the cigar industry. During the crisis, the cigar industry ensured that unemployment was not very large, although the living then in Eersel was reasonable poverty. Eersel still enjoys a reputation as one of the largest cigar exporters of the Netherlands and takes still an important place on the world market of cigar producers. After the Second World War there was a fast increase of population from 3,700 to 12,500 inhabitants in Eersel.

Places of interest
The original version of the church of Eersel was a simply wooden cottage and was possibly founded by the (Catholic) abbey of Echternach. The church was mentioned for the first time in 1480. Tower dates from second half of the 14th century. The flaunting piece of the church is the monumental organ. It was entirely restored in 1972, under realm monument care. It is a combination of work of two famous organ builders: Bernard Petrus van Hirtum from Hilvarenbeek (1838) and the Smits Brothers from Reek (1852).
 * The church of Saint Willibrord

It is built in 1464 in Gothic style and is the oldest building of the market. After the Peace of Münster it was closed for mass service and was used as Council house, as prison and repository for the fire-engine. It was used for 300 years as a townhall up to 1948 before it was returned to the church and used as a chapel again.
 * The Chapel of Our Lady of Campina

The church was built first in 1812, and has been rebuilt in 1861. It is a simple barge stone build church. The ceiling has an arbor, what gives it a very good acoustic.
 * Protestant church

Notable residents

 * Bertus Borgers (born 1947 in Vessem) a Dutch saxophone player
 * Wil van der Aalst (born 1966 in Eersel) a Dutch computer scientist and academic

title: Eersel


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Etten-Leur

Etten-Leur is a municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. Its name is a combination of the two villages from which the municipality originally acrose: Etten and Leur.

History
The villages were always part of one municipality, originally called "Etten c.a." (cum annexis), this later to change to "Etten en Leur". The current name was adopted in 1968. By that time, the villages had grown into one.

Both villages, created in the Middle Ages, were relatively prosperous during the period of the Dutch Republic, the exception being the period of the Eighty Years' War in which the area was a major battleground. This prosperity was caused by the fact that Etten was a centre for the production of peat, and Leur was a local trading port, as it had a harbour.

Decline in economic importance marked both villages during the nineteenth century. In 1836 Arnold Damen left Leur in order to work as a missionary in the United States. The painter Vincent van Gogh briefly lived in Etten, making him the most famous citizen in the history of Etten and Leur. During World War II, the two villages were freed from German occupation in late October 1944 by elements of the U.S. 104th Infantry Division.

The economic decline was halted when, in 1950, the Dutch government decided to encourage population growth and industrial development. As a result of this development, both towns have grown towards each other and merged into one: Etten-Leur.

Topography
Dutch topographic map of Etten-Leur (town), March 2014

Education

 * Katholieke Scholengemeenschap Etten-Leur, a Catholic high school
 * Munnikenheide College

Transportation

 * Etten-Leur railway station

Notable people

 * Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797 in Etten – 1871) a Dutch politician; Finance Minister 1840/1843 and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1845/1851
 * Peter de Clercq (born 1959 in Etten-Leur) a Dutch diplomat, who currently works with the United Nations
 * Stef Broks (born 1981 in Etten-Leur) a Dutch drummer, played with Textures
 * Danny van Trijp (born 1996 in Etten-Leur) a Dutch Darts player, who currently plays in PDC events
 * Vincent van Gogh opened his first art studio in Etten in 1881. His career as an artist began in Etten.

title: Etten-Leur


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Geertruidenberg

Geertruidenberg is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered until the 15th century.

Today, the municipality of Geertruidenberg includes the population centres Raamsdonk and Raamsdonksveer. The municipality has a total area of undefined km2 and had a population of 0 in. The city government consists of the mayor and three aldermen.

History
Geertruidenberg is named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles.

In 1213, Sint Geertruidenberg (English: "Saint Gertrude's Mountain") received city rights from Count William I of Holland. The fortified city became a trade center, where counts and other nobility gathered for negotiations. In 1323–1325, Geertruidenberg Castle was constructed very close to the city center.

During the Hook and Cod wars, the city chose the Cod side in 1351, while the castle remained on the Hook side. This led to the 1350–1351 Siege of Geertruidenberg. In 1420 a similar siege during a later Hook and Cod war caused huge damage to the city. The Saint Elizabeth's flood of 1421 then ended the prosperity of Geertruidenberg.

In 1573, during the Eighty Years War, the city was captured in a surprise attack by an English, French Huguenot and Fleming force. In 1589 however the city was betrayed to Parma by its English garrison. It was finally recaptured by an Anglo-Dutch force under the command of Maurice of Nassau in the summer of 1593.

Today, Geertruidenberg is part of the province of North Brabant, but it was once part of the county of Holland. Geertruidenberg is the second oldest city of Holland as it was the first to receive city rights. It is a common misconception that Geertruidenberg is the oldest city of the Netherlands, because the names Holland and the Netherlands are used interchangeably by some.

Geography
The total area of the municipality is undefined km2, of which undefined km2 is land and undefined km2 is water.

The municipality of Geertruidenberg comprises three population centres: Geertruidenberg is located on the bank of the Donge, close to where this river flows into the Amer.
 * Geertruidenberg
 * Raamsdonk
 * Raamsdonksveer

Demography
As of, the total population of Geertruidenberg was 0. The population density was undefined /km2.

Government
The mayor of Geertruidenberg is Marian Witte who, like all mayors in the Netherlands, was appointed by the Dutch monarch. She is supported by four aldermen who, with the mayor, form the College van Burgemeester en Wethouders.

The city council is elected every four years, at the same time as most other Dutch municipalities. The 19 members of the city council assemble ten times per year for public meetings in the city hall in Raamsdonksveer. The council members come from seven political parties, four local and three national (2022): • Keerpunt 74 (5 seats)

• Lokaal+ (4 seats)

• Morgen! (GroenLinks/P.v.d.A) (3 seats)

• CDA (2 seats)

• VVD (2 seats)

• Municipal Interest Geertruidenberg (2 seats)

• Social People's Party Geertruidenberg (1 seat)

Notable people

 * Johannes Vollevens (1649 in Geertruidenberg – 1728) a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Juliana de Lannoy (1738 – 1782 in St. Geertruidenberg) an artist and poet, lived in St. Geertruidenberg from 1758
 * Willem Sassen (1918 in Geertruidenberg – 2002) a Dutch collaborator, Nazi journalist, a member of the Waffen-SS and the interviewer of Adolf Eichmann in 1960
 * Jan Derksen (1919 in Geertruidenberg – 2011) a Dutch professional cyclist, world professional track sprint champion in 1946 and 1957
 * Matthijs Brouwer (born 1980 in Raamsdonk) a field hockey player, team silver medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics

title: Geertruidenberg


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Geldrop-Mierlo

Geldrop-Mierlo is a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. The municipality was created from the two former municipalities of Geldrop and Mierlo on 1 January 2004.

Villages
Geldrop-Mierlo had a population of 0 in. It covers an area of undefined km2. The two villages of Geldrop and Mierlo used to be separate municipalities, but joined together after threats from Helmond to take over Mierlo.

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo, June 2015

History
Over the years there have been several archaeological finds relating to prehistoric peoples who lived in or passed through the area. In the area of Geldrop, where over 10,000 years ago reindeerhunters of the so-called Ahrensburg culture placed their tents, two with engravings have been found, among other artefacts. On one of them a reindeerhorn have been represented, on the other one a dancing little girl, who is called 'venus van Mierlo'. In the south of Zesgehuchten (district of Geldrop) finds have been done which indicate on small settlements from the New Stone Age (round 3000 BC). Finds from the Roman Time and the early Middle Ages have been found off Genoenhuis and Hoog Geldrop (districts in Geldrop). In the autumn of 1989 nearby 't Zand (cemetery) archaeological unearthings has been carried out. These had a remarkable result. Four settlements were found from the late Roman Time and the Middle Ages: a period which covers the years between 350 and 1225.

Transportation

 * Geldrop railway station

Notable residents

 * Willem van Enckevoirt (1464 in Mierlo-Hout – 1534 in Rome) a Dutch Cardinal, Bishop of Utrecht 1529 to 1534.
 * Dries van Agt (born 1931 in Geldrop) former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1977-1982
 * A.F.Th. van der Heijden (born 1951 in Geldrop) a Dutch writer
 * Dr. Wijnand van der Sanden (born 1953 in Geldrop) a Dutch archaeologist and prehistorian
 * Raimond Lap (born 1959 in Geldrop) a composer of music for toddlers and babies
 * Rianne Donders-de Leest (born 1960) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Geldrop-Mierlo 2004-2015
 * Michiel Riedijk (born 1964 in Geldrop) a Dutch architect and university professor
 * Menno Westendorp (born 1969 in Geldrop) a Dutch cinematographer
 * Frank Lammers (born 1972 in Mierlo) a Dutch TV and film actor
 * Martijn Deijkers (born 1975 in Geldrop), stage name Martyn, a Dutch producer and DJ
 * Job Roggeveen (born 1979 in Geldrop) a film director and writer
 * Pieter Henket (born 1979 in Geldrop) a photographer who lives and works in New York City
 * Lara Stone (born 1983 in Mierlo) a Dutch fashion model

Sport

 * Ernest Faber (born 1971 in Geldrop) a football manager and former player with 248 club caps
 * Dirk Lippits (born 1977 in Geldrop) a Dutch rower, silver medallist in the 2000 Summer Olympics
 * Pieter van den Hoogenband (born 1978) a Dutch former swimmer, triple gold medallist at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, grew up in Geldrop
 * Marcel Balkestein (born 1981 in Geldrop) a Dutch field hockey player, team silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Roel Koolen (born 1982 in Mierlo) a Dutch baseball player, competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics
 * Mink van der Weerden (born 1988 in Geldrop) a Dutch field hockey player, team silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Maikel van der Vleuten (born 1988 in Geldrop) a Dutch show jumping rider, team silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics
 * Mitch Dielemans (born 1993 in Geldrop) a Dutch competitive archer, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics

title: Geldrop-Mierlo


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Gemert-Bakel

Gemert-Bakel is a municipality in the southern Netherlands.

Population centres
• Bakel

• De Mortel

• De Rips

• Elsendorp

• Gemert

• Handel

• Milheeze

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Gemert-Bakel, June 2015

Climate
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

Castle
In the centre of Gemert stands a castle of which the oldest parts date back to the Late Middle Ages, although it has been rebuilt a couple of times. It was founded by German knights who lived in the castle for several hundred years, however these days it is occupied by monks and nuns. The predecessor of this castle was a motte-and-bailey located further to the west and was discovered in 1995. It is said that the townfounder Diederik van Gemert lived here.

Notable people

 * Georgius Macropedius (1487 in Gemert – 1558) a Dutch humanist and schoolmaster
 * Lawrence Torrentinus (1499 in Gemert – 1563) a Dutch-Italian humanist, typographer and printer for Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence
 * Jan van Gemert (1921 in Gemert – 1991) a Dutch painter, graphic artist, sculptor, glass artist and ceramist
 * Wim Verstappen (1937 in Gemert – 2004) a Dutch film director and producer, television director, and screen writer
 * Frans van der Hoff (born 1939 in De Rips) a Dutch missionary who helped launch Max Havelaar the first Fairtrade label in 1988
 * Haico Scharn (1945–2021, born in Gemert) a Dutch middle-distance runner, competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
 * Victor Allis (born 1965 in Gemert) a Dutch computer scientist and academic
 * Ben Gall (born 1948 in Eindhoven) a Dutch entrepreneur who founded several high tech companies in NL and the USA. Collects modern art and has been supporting the arts for decades. Now retired and living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Trivia
The spoken language is Peellands (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).

title: Gemert-Bakel


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Gilze en Rijen

Gilze en Rijen is a municipality in the southern Netherlands. The municipality contains four villages: Rijen, Gilze, Hulten and Molenschot. It is home to the Gilze-Rijen Air Base.

Rijen grew in the 19th century due to its leather factories.

Population centres
• Rijen (population: 16,581)

• Gilze (7,729)

• Molenschot (1,341)

• Hulten (328)

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Gilze en Rijen, June 2015

Transportation
Railway Station: Gilze-Rijen

Climate
The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gilze en Rijen has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

On 24 July 2019, temperatures in Gilze en Rijen reached as high as 39.2 C, the highest temperature ever recorded in The Netherlands until it was surpassed by Eindhoven the same day. However, a day later, on 25 July, temperatures in Gilze en Rijen reached 40.7 C, making it the first place ever in The Netherlands where 40 C was measured and took away the record back from Eindhoven. Climate change was found to be the culprit of such hot temperatures in Netherlands.

Notable people

 * Marcellin Theeuwes (1936 in Gilze en Rijen – 2019) was a Dutch Carthusian monk
 * Jacques Theeuwes (born 1944 in Rijen) a Dutch economist, accountant and academic
 * Henriette van Lynden-Leijten (1950 in Gilze en Rijen – 2010) a Dutch Baroness and diplomat to Bulgaria and the Vatican

Sport

 * Janus Theeuwes (1886 in Gilze en Rijen – 1975) an archer, gold medallist in the 1920 Summer Olympics
 * Joep van den Ouweland (born 1984 in Gilze en Rijen) is a Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps
 * Cees Doorakkers (born 1963 in Gilze) a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer
 * Jeroen Blijlevens (born 1971 in Gilze en Rijen) a retired road bicycle racer

title: Gilze en Rijen


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Goirle

Goirle is a 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 system.

The municipality also includes the villages of Breehees and Riel.

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Goirle, June 2015

Notable people

 * Max Steenberghe (1899–1972) a Dutch politician and Govt. minister
 * John Boxtel (born 1930) a Dutch sculptor of woodcarvings and an art teacher
 * Pepijn van Erp (born 1972) a Dutch mathematician, skeptical activist and chess player
 * Jan Taminiau (born 1975) a Dutch clothes designer
 * Floor Jansen (born 1981) a Dutch singer, songwriter and lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish

Sport

 * Tiest van Gestel (1881–1969) an archer and team gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics
 * Huub Zilverberg (born 1939) a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer
 * Martin van Geel (born 1960) a retired Dutch footballer with over 430 club caps
 * Mathieu Hermans (born 1963) a former Dutch professional road bicycle racer
 * Roy Hendriksen (born 1969) a Dutch professional football manager, coach and former player with 438 club caps
 * Edwin Hermans (born 1974) a Dutch former footballer with over 360 club caps
 * Amanda Hopmans (born 1976) a former professional tennis player
 * Björn van der Doelen (born 1976) a retired football midfielder with 249 club caps and a singer/songwriter
 * Marcel Meeuwis (born 1980) is a Dutch former footballer with 300 club caps
 * Joris Mathijsen (born 1980) a Dutch former footballer with 409 club caps
 * Ireen Wüst (born 1986) a Dutch long track allround speed skater, winner of eleven Olympic medals
 * Eefje Muskens (born 1989) a Dutch badminton player, competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Michael Kuiper (born 1989 in Riel) a Dutch mixed martial artist
 * Virgil Misidjan (born 1993) a Dutch footballer

title: Goirle


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Grave (disambiguation)

A grave is a location where a dead body is buried.

Grave may also refer to:

Phonetics, diacritics and music

 * Grave accent, a diacritical mark
 * Backtick or backquote, character on computer keyboards
 * Grave (phonetic), a term used to classify sounds
 * Grave, a term for a slow and solemn music tempo or a solemn mood in general
 * Grave (band), a Swedish death metal band

Places

 * Grave, Netherlands, a municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant
 * La Grave, a commune in southeastern France
 * Grave (crater), on the Moon

People

 * Dmitry Grave (1863–1939), Russian mathematician
 * Franz Grave (1932-2022), German Roman Catholic bishop
 * Ivan Grave (1874–1960), Russian scientist

Other uses

 * Cognate of German Graf, a historical title of the German nobility, as in margrave
 * Grave (unit), an old unprefixed name for the kilogram
 * Grave, the main character in the third-person shooter video games Gungrave and Beyond the Grave
 * "Grave" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), the final episode of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 * Grave (film), a 2016 film also titled as Raw

title: Grave (disambiguation)


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Haaren, North Brabant

Haaren is a town and former municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.

The former municipality of Haaren ceased to exist on 1 January 2021. It was divided among four municipalities: Boxtel, Oisterwijk, Tilburg, and Vught.

The former municipality of Haaren contained three other villages: Helvoirt, Esch, and Biezenmortel. An unusual thing about the municipality was that it belonged to two regions, Tilburg and 's-Hertogenbosch. The village belongs to the region of Tilburg. The eastern part of national park the Loonse en Drunense Duinen was part of the municipality.

Haaren is known as 'The Garden of Brabant' because of the many plantations of trees, plants etc.

Population centres

 * Biezenmortel (1,498) added to Tilburg
 * Esch (2,225) added to Boxtel
 * Haaren (5,584) added to Oisterwijk
 * Helvoirt (4,741) added to Vught

(Population in 2003)

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Haaren, June 2015

title: Haaren, North Brabant


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Halderberge

Halderberge is a municipality in the southern Netherlands.

Population centres

 * Oudenbosch (population: 13,110)
 * Hoeven (6,560)
 * Oud Gastel (6,360)
 * Bosschenhoofd (2,180)
 * Stampersgat (1,330)

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Halderberge, June 2015

Twin towns — Sister cities
Halderberge is twinned with:

Notable people

 * Jac. van Ginneken (1877 in Oudenbosch - 1945) a Dutch linguist, Jesuit priest and academic
 * Marinus Jan Granpré Molière (1883 in Oudenbosch — 1972) a Dutch architect

 * Gabriel Nuchelmans (1922 in Oud Gastel – 1996) a Dutch philosopher, focused on the philosophy of the Middle Ages
 * Cretien van Campen (born 1963 in Oudenbosch) a Dutch author, editor and scientific researcher in social science and fine arts

Sport

 * Janus van Merrienboer (1894 in Oud en Nieuw Gastel – 1947) an archer, competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
 * Ad Tak (born 1953 in Nieuwe Gastel) a retired cyclist, competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics
 * Digna Ketelaar (born 1967 in Bosschenhoofd) a former Dutch tennis player

title: Halderberge


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Heeze-Leende

Heeze-Leende is a municipality in the southern Netherlands, near Eindhoven. It is known for Heeze Castle (Kasteel Heeze).

The spoken language is "Heeze-en-Leendes", a distinct dialect within the East Brabantian dialect group and is very similar to colloquial Dutch.

Population centres

 * Heeze
 * Leende
 * Sterksel

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Heeze-Leende, June 2015

Notable people

 * Jan Moninckx (ca.1656 in Leende - 1714) a Dutch botanical artist and painter
 * Laurentius Nicolaas Deckers (1883 in Heeze – 1978) a Dutch politician, diplomat and agronomist.
 * Thomas Horsten (born 1994 in Heeze) a Dutch professional footballer

title: Heeze-Leende


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Heusden

Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the towns of Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch. The municipality of Heusden, including Herpt, Heesbeen, Hedikhuizen, Doeveren, and Oudheusden, merged with Drunen and Vlijmen in 1997, giving the municipality its current form.

The middle part of national park the Loonse en Drunense Duinen is located in the municipality of Heusden.

Population centres
• Doeveren

• Drunen

• Elshout

• Giersbergen

• Haarsteeg

• Hedikhuizen

• Heesbeen

• Herpt

• Heusden

• Nieuwkuijk

• Oudheusden

• Vlijmen

Heusden town
Before 1997, Heusden was a municipality in itself, that included the communities of Herpt, Heesbeen, Hedikhuizen, Doeveren, and Oudheusden.

Castle
The settlement of Heusden on the river Meuse (Maas) started with the construction of Heusden Castle, which replaced an earlier castle destroyed by the Duke of Brabant in 1202. This fortification was quickly expanded with water works and a donjon (castle keep). The city of Heusden received city rights in 1318. Heusden's castle had belonged to successive dukes of Brabant; in 1357 it passed into the hands of the counts of Holland. Ramparts and moats were constructed, bringing the castle within the city's fortifications and resulting in the loss of its function as a stronghold. The donjon was then used as a munition depot. On 24 July 1680, a terrible thunderstorm hit Heusden, and lightning struck the donjon. Sixty thousand pounds of gunpowder and other ammunition exploded, destroying the castle. It took seven weeks to clear the rubble and debris. The castle was never fully rebuilt. However, outlines of the main features were restored in 1987.

Fortifications and restoration
At the beginning of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), Heusden was occupied by the Spanish. In 1577, however, following the Pacification of Ghent, the people of Heusden allied with William, Prince of Orange. William consolidated the town's strategic position near the river Meuse, and ordered fortification works to be constructed. Work started in 1579 with the digging of moats and the construction of bastions, walls, and ravelins, and was completed in 1597.

By the early nineteenth century, the defence works fell into disrepair and were dismantled. In 1968, however, extensive restoration works started, and fortifications were carefully rebuilt, based on and inspired by a 1649 map of the city of Heusden by Johannes Blaeu, son of the famous Dutch cartographer Willem Blaeu. In 1980, the city of Heusden received the European Urbes Nostrae restoration prize. Heusden currently draws over 350 thousand tourists every year who visit the historic town centre and walk the walls that once made it a formidable stronghold.

Heusden Town Hall Massacre
In October 1944, towards the end of World War II, the cities of Tilburg and 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) were liberated by the Allied forces. The bridge across the river Meuse made Heusden, then still occupied by the Germans, strategically significant. The cellars of the old town hall, built in 1588, were a shelter for civilians during artillery fire. The German Wehrmacht used the building as a communication centre and hospital.

A few weeks after Operation Market Garden, the allied Operation Pheasant started on 20 October 1944. The First Canadian Army (advancing from Belgium) and the 2nd British Army (advancing from the east) fought to liberate central and western North Brabant. On Saturday 4 November, under heavy artillery fire, two Scottish Highlander regiments advanced, and 170 civilians sought shelter in the town hall cellars. In the early morning of 5 November, three German army engineers detonated explosive charges they had placed earlier in the 40-metre tower. It collapsed, killing 134 people. Heusden was decimated. One tenth of the town's population died that night in the town hall cellars. Seventy-four victims, i.e. more than half of the total number, were children aged 16 or younger. Only hours later, the 5th battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders from the 51st Highland Division liberated Heusden.

Witnesses have stated that on 4 November German soldiers carried explosives into the town hall tower, and also into two churches, a windmill, and dairy factory in Heusden. NCO (non-commissioned officer) Bottnick, who was probably following orders from commander Pfühl, a mining engineer, undermined the eastern part of the tower, ensuring that it would collapse on the town hall, not on the street. Later, these events were investigated by the British Civil Affairs. However, this has never resulted in the trial and punishment of Pfühl, Bottnick, and their accomplices.

A new town hall was erected in 1956. Designed and built in the style of the Bossche School, it has much less splendour than its late-gothic predecessor. A memorial tablet in the forecourt still remembers the lives that were lost in the night of 4 to 5 November 1944. Its inscription: "Wandelaar, waar gij staat vielen vijf november 1944 honderd vier en dertig burgers den oorlog ten offer." ("Passer-by, where you are, on five November 1944 one hundred and thirty four civilians fell victim to the war.")

Inscriptions on one of the larger bells in the tower "Nabestaanden, als ik luid, weet: Uw vele, vele doden zijn niet oorlogs droeve buit, maar aan 't Gastmaal Gods genoden." ("Relatives, when I ring, know: Your many, many decedents are not the sad spoils of war, but the guests of God's banquet."), and an epitaph "5 November 1944. Hier staat in steen geschreven geen daad of droom, geen leven, maar slechts het blijvend feit van hun afwezigheid" ("5 November 1944. Here is written in stone no act or dream, no life, but only the permanent fact of their absence") in the building itself are also dedicated to the memory of the victims.

The massacre ("Stadhuisramp") is commemorated every year.

With the fusion of the municipalities of Heusden, Drunen and Vlijmen in 1997, the town hall had lost its original function. Since 2005, the building has housed a visitors centre.

Notable residents

 * Gisbertus Voetius (1589 in Heusden – 1676) a Dutch Calvinist theologian
 * Jonkheer Jacob van Eyck (ca.1590 in Heusden – 1657) a Dutch nobleman, musician and composer
 * Dirck van Delen (ca.1605 in Heusden – 1671) a Dutch painter of palaces and church interiors.
 * Dirck Wijntrack (1615 in Heusden – 1678) a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam (1645 in Heusden – 1714) a Dutch general in the War of the Spanish Succession
 * Philip Lichtenberg (1669 – 1678), Dutch military officer and Governor of Surinam
 * Jean Conrad de Kock (1756 in Heusden – 1794) a lawyer, banker and republican. Guillotined in Paris.
 * Hendrik Merkus de Kock (1779 in Heusden – 1845) a Dutch general and nobleman in the Batavian Navy and Lieutenant Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
 * Theodore James Ryken (1797 in Heusden – 1871) a Dutch Roman Catholic, founded the Xaverian Brothers
 * Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879 in Den Treek – 1968) a Dutch biologist, museum director and academic
 * Martin van Rooijen (born 1942 in Drunen) a Dutch politician
 * Josje Huisman (born 1986 in Heusden) a Dutch singer, actress, dancer, host and writer
 * Jolijn van de Wiel (born 1992 in Drunen) a Dutch actress

Sport

 * Ton van Engelen (born 1950 in Den Bosch) a retired Dutch football goalkeeper
 * Lars Boom (born 1985 in Vlijmen) a professional cyclo-cross and road racing cyclist
 * Jesse Timmermans (born 1989 in Vlijmen) a Dutch tennis player.

title: Heusden


text:
Hilvarenbeek

Hilvarenbeek is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium.

The biggest tourist attraction is called Beekse Bergen, consisting of a safari park, amusement park/playground, holiday bungalow park, and camping parks.

In the centre of the town the Sint-Petrus'-Banden is a Gothic church from the 14th and 15th centuries. The tower is a highlight of the Kempen Gothic.

Population centres
The municipality of Hilvarenbeek also includes the following villages with their own churches: • Baarschot (village-like hamlet without church but a Maria cave)

• Biest-Houtakker

• Diessen

• Esbeek

• Haghorst In addition, the following parts were historically separate, but are nowadays more like neighbourhoods: • Beerten

• Driehuizen

• Dun

• Gorp

• Groenstraat

• Groot Loo

• Grote Voort

• Hoog Spul

• Hoogeind

• Klein Loo

• Kleine Voort

• Laag Spul

• Rovert

• Slibbroek

• Westerwijk

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Hilvarenbeek, June 2015.

Notable people

 * Johannes Goropius Becanus (1519 in Gorp – 1573) a Dutch physician, linguist, and humanist
 * Martinus Becanus (1563 in Hilvarenbeek – 1624) a Jesuit priest, theologian and controversialist.
 * Jacques Thomassen (born 1945 in Diessen) a Dutch organizational theorist and academic
 * Henny Vrienten (born 1948 in Hilvarenbeek – 2022) a Dutch composer of TV and film scores
 * Annie Abrahams (born 1954 in Hilvarenbeek) a Dutch performance artist in video installations and the internet
 * Henk Baars (born 1960 in Diessen) a former professional Dutch cyclo-cross cyclist
 * Ronald van Raak (born 1969 in Hilvarenbeek) a Dutch politician, non-fiction writer and former academic

title: Hilvarenbeek


text:
Laarbeek

Laarbeek is a municipality located in the province of North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. It was formed in 1997 from the former municipalities Beek en Donk, Aarle-Rixtel and Lieshout (which included the village Mariahout). Laarbeek is part of the city region 'Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven', centered on the city of Eindhoven. The town hall is located in Beek en Donk.

Lieshout is home of the Bavaria Brewery, one of the Netherlands' largest breweries which produces for local and foreign markets.

The Croy Castle is located near the village Aarle-Rixtel.

Population centres
• Achterbosch

• Beemdkant

• Broek

• De Hei

• Deense Hoek

• Ginderdoor

• Groenewoud

• Heikant

• Het Hool

• Het Laar

• 't Hof

• Kruisschot

• Scheepstal

• Strijp

• Wolfsputten

Municipal government
After the 2022 municipal election, the municipal council of Laarbeek had six parties.

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan=2|Party !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
 * bgcolor="#ce0c69" width=2|
 * align=left|Partij Nieuw Laarbeek||
 * bgcolor="#e35a0c" width=2|
 * align=left|De Werkgroep||
 * bgcolor="#3FA9F5" width=2|
 * align=left|Algemeen Belang Laarbeek||
 * bgcolor="#015CAB" width=2|
 * align=left|Ouderen Appèl - Hart voor Laarbeek||
 * align=left|Christian Democratic Appeal||
 * align=left|Labour Party||
 * }
 * align=left|Ouderen Appèl - Hart voor Laarbeek||
 * align=left|Christian Democratic Appeal||
 * align=left|Labour Party||
 * }
 * align=left|Labour Party||
 * }
 * align=left|Labour Party||
 * }

The municipal executive has of four coalition parties: De Werkgroep, Algemeen Belang Laarbeek (ABL), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Labour (PvdA). Each of these parties has one Alderman in the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (College van Burgemeester en Wethouders).

Topography
Map of the municipality of Laarbeek, June 2015.

Notable people

 * Arnoldus Arlenius (ca.1510–1582) a Dutch humanist philosopher and poet
 * Eustáquio van Lieshout (1890 in Aarle-Rixtel – 1943) a Dutch RC missionary in Brazil
 * Guus Meeuwis (born 1972 in Mariahout) a Dutch singer-songwriter
 * Bram Zwanen (born 1998 in Aarle-Rixtel) a Dutch footballer

title: Laarbeek


text:
Landerd

Landerd is a former municipality within the province of North Brabant in the southern Netherlands. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Maashorst.

History
Landerd is the result of a merger between the formerly independent municipalities of Schaijk and Zeeland on 1 January 1994. Schaijk and Reek had merged earlier on 1 July 1942.

Population centres

 * Reek
 * Schaijk
 * Zeeland

Topography

Map of the former municipality of Landerd, 2015

Notable people

 * Monique van de Ven (born 1952 in Zeeland) a Dutch actress and director
 * Tonnie Dirks (born 1961 in Zeeland) a Dutch former long-distance runner, competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics
 * Daphny van den Brand (born 1978 in Zeeland) a Dutch cyclo-cross, road bicycle and mountain bike racer.
 * Thijs Ploegmakers (born 1980 in Schaijk) performs as Adaro, is a Dutch DJ.

title: Landerd


text:
Lith, Netherlands

Lith is a village in the province North Brabant in the Netherlands. Before 2011, there was also a municipality; since 2011 Lith is a part of Oss.

History
Lith was first mentioned in 1202 as Litte. The etymology is unknown. Lith developed on a fordable location on the Maas. A harbour has been known to exist at Lith since 968. Originally it was part of the Duchy of Brabant. Later it became part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. In 1672, it was conquered by the Dutch Republic.

The Dutch Reformed church dated from the Middle Ages, but was destroyed by a V-1 flying bomb in 1945. The church was rebuilt in 1953. The Catholic St Lambertus Church was built 1899 and 1900 and has a slender needle spire. The grist mill Zeldenrust was built around 1800. It remained in service until 1972, and bought by the municipality in 1973. The wind mill is occasionally in use.

Lith was home to 1,279 people in 1840. Lith was an independent municipality until 1958 when it was merged into Alem, Maren en Kessel. In 2011, it became part of the municipality of Oss.

title: Lith, Netherlands


text:
Loon op Zand

Loon op Zand is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of 0 in.

The western part of national park the Loonse en Drunense Duinen is located in the municipality of Loon op Zand.

Population centres
• De Moer

• Heikant

• Kaatsheuvel

• Loon op Zand

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Loon op Zand, June 2015.

Kaatsheuvel
Kaatsheuvel is the location of the amusement park Efteling.

Loon op Zand
Loon op Zand is the oldest village of the municipality. Somewhere around the year 1000, this village was founded in a very wet and swampy area. There was also a lot of drift-sand whose origin, according to geological experts, dates back to the last ice age. As of this moment, Loon op Zand has the biggest driftsand area in all of western Europe. Historically, the presence of this driftsand has caused the relocation of the village on several times. Hinerland farmers build many sandy embankments or levies to protect their land against the ceaseless drifting sand.

The presence of this driftsand explains the name of Loon op Zand. Before 1391, a village called 'Venloon' was situated just a few hundred metres to the north-east of the current village of Loon op Zand. After the villagers relocated in 1391, they called their new village 'Venloon op 't Zant' (Venloon on the Sand), which over the years changed to 'Loon op Zand'.

For 200 years, Loon op Zand and Kaatsheuvel were the centre of the leather tanning and shoe manufacturing industry of the region. There were a lot of factories; most of these were in people's backyards. There were some big shoe manufacturers, such as Van Lier. This world-famous shoe brand originated in Loon op Zand. Just prior to the new millennium, Van Lier abandoned their factory in Loon op Zand and moved to a bigger factory in Breda.

Notable people

 * Paul Litjens (born 1947 in Loon op Zand) a former field hockey player
 * Ton Masseurs (born 1947 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch pedal steel guitar player
 * Ben Knapen (born 1951 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch politician, the CDA parliamentary leader in the Senate
 * Mark van Loosdrecht (born 1959 in Loon op Zand) an academic and inventor of Nereda, a wastewater treatment technology
 * Ilse Broeders (born 1977 in Loon op Zand) a Dutch bobsledder, competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics
 * Jacqueline Govaert (born 1982 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch singer, songwriter, and pianist

title: Loon op Zand


text:
Maasdonk

Maasdonk is a former municipality in the southern Netherlands that existed from 1993 until January 1, 2015, when it was merged into the existing municipalities of 's-Hertogenbosch and Oss.

Population centres

 * Geffen
 * Nuland
 * Vinkel

title: Maasdonk


text:
Mierlo

Mierlo is a village in the southern Netherlands, in the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo, North Brabant. Until 2004, it was a separate municipality with an area of 18.09 km².

Mierlo is home to a few interesting buildings, for example the old Council house and the windmill in the centre of the village. Sports clubs in Mierlo are Mifano and the Hockey Club. Just to the south, separated by the A67 motorway, lies the Strabrechtse Heide.

Mierlo is situated in the urban area of Eindhoven and Helmond. But it has many green areas. It lies on the edge of forests, moorlands and fields.

History
The oldest inhabitants of the area that we have any knowledge of were the reindeer hunters. In 1961, a piece of sandstone, dated at around 9,000B.C. was discovered on the heath between Mierlo and Geldrop. On this stone a half-naked dancing female figure was etched, which is now known as the 'Venus of Mierlo.' It is the oldest artistic expression ever found in the Netherlands.

The village was first mentioned in 1245 as Henricus de Mirle, and is a combination of the words for moorland and open forest. Mierlo developed in the 12th century near a castle. The castle was rebuilt in 1210 after it was destroyed, and collapsed in a storm in 1800.

The Catholic St. Lucia Church was built between 1856 and 1858. Part of the tower of the medieval church was incorporated in the new church. The nameless grist mill of Mierlo was built around 1640. It was moved in 1860 and 1992. It was restored several times and nowadays only used occasionally.

Mierlo was home to 466 people in 1840. Mierlo was an independent municipality. In 1968, the village Mierlo-Hout was transferred to Helmond. In 2003 when it was merged into Geldrop-Mierlo.

In 2004, Mierlo acquired a zoo named 'Dierenrijk' near the Gulbergen. This zoo initially began under the name 'Dierenrijk Europa,' featuring animals ranging from polar bears to apes from Gibraltar, as well as beavers that had been reintroduced in the Netherlands. When non-European animals, such as elephants and camels, were also introduced, the name was changed to 'Dierenrijk'.

title: Mierlo


text:
Mill en Sint Hubert

Mill en Sint Hubert is a former municipality in the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands.

Mill en Sint Hubert, Boxmeer, Cuijk, Grave, and Sint Anthonis merged into the new municipality of Land van Cuijk on 1 January 2022.

Population centres
• Langenboom

• Mill

• Sint Hubert

• Wilbertoord

Topography

Map of the former municipality of Mill en Sint Hubert, 2015

Notable people

 * Kees Bastiaans (1909 in Mill - 1986 in Mill) a Dutch Expressionist painter
 * Reinout Oerlemans (born 1971 in Mill) a Dutch soap opera actor, film director, TV presenter and producer
 * Jochen Miller (born 1979 in Langenboom) a trance musician and progressive house DJ
 * Janneke van Tienen (born 1979 in Mill) a volleyball player

title: Mill en Sint Hubert


text:
Moerdijk

Moerdijk is a municipality and a town in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.

History
The municipality of Moerdijk was founded in 1997 following the merger of the municipalities of Fijnaart en Heijningen, Klundert, Standdaarbuiten, Willemstad, and Zevenbergen. At that time the new municipality was called Zevenbergen. The name changed to Moerdijk on 1 April 1998.
 * List of mayors of Moerdijk

Population centres
• Fijnaart en Heijningen

• Klundert

• Langeweg

• Moerdijk

• Noordhoek

• Standdaarbuiten

• Willemstad

• Zevenbergen

• Zevenbergschen Hoek

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Moerdijk, June 2015

The village of Moerdijk
The village of Moerdijk is one of the smaller villages of the municipality. Population as of 2002 is 1,205. Moerdijk is however a well-known name in the Netherlands, because of the large Moerdijk industrial area, with a large power plant, and because of the well-known Moerdijk bridges (highway and railway bridges) across the Hollands Diep. This was the last bridge available for the retreat from the vital Scheldt Estuary of the rapidly collapsing German defences near Antwerp in World War II. (Noteworthy as well, the Moerdijk bridges were one of the first targets of guided, or "smart bombs"- by American heavy bombers in late 1944.)

Moerdijk made headlines on January 5, 2011, because of a large fire at Chemie-Pack (a firm processing numerous chemicals) causing a large cloud of toxic smoke to blow over the surrounding area, mostly to the north of Moerdijk.

Above the Moerdijk (meaning "north of Moerdijk") is used as an expression in Belgium and the southern parts of the Netherlands to mean "in the Netherlands" or "in Holland".

Below the Moerdijk (meaning "south of Moerdijk" or "below the major rivers") is also a Dutch expression for the Catholic provinces North Brabant and Limburg. This expression is used particularly around Mardi Gras in relation to the region's traditional carnival culture, which (with a few local exceptions) does not exist north of the major rivers.

Across the Moerdijk is used by either party to mean the other one.

Zevenbergen
Zevenbergen is the largest town of the municipality (population : 14,006). It is located about 10 km northwest of Breda. It received city rights in 1427.

Zevenbergen has a train station with connections to Dordrecht and Roosendaal.

Transport
Close to Hollands Diep, the area is now used for industrial movements by water, with great inland access as well the access into the North Sea, transport company Van der Vlist have their own port located in the area, and many other transport companies have nearby offices.

Notable people

 * Emanuel Sweert (1552 in Zevenbergen – 1612) a Dutch painter and nurseryman
 * François Vranck (ca. 1555 in Zevenbergen – 1617) a Dutch lawyer and statesman, helped found the Dutch Republic
 * Hendrick Berckman (1629 in Klundert – 1679) a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Jaap Burger (1904 in Willemstad – 1986) a Dutch politician
 * Leo Riemens (1910 in Zevenbergen – 1985) a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist
 * Fons van der Stee (1928 in Zevenbergen – 1999) a Dutch politician
 * Ad Bax (born 1956 in Zevenbergen) a Dutch-American molecular biophysicist
 * Frans Bauer (born 1973 in Roosendaal) a Dutch singer of levenslied
 * O'G3NE (formed 2007 in Fijnaart) a Dutch three-piece girl group

Sport

 * Piet van der Horst (1903 in Klundert – 1983) a Dutch racing cyclist, silver medallist at the 1928 Summer Olympics
 * Nico van Gageldonk (1913 in Klundert – 1995) a Dutch cyclist, competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics
 * Angelique Seriese (born 1968 in Zevenbergen) a former Dutch judoka, gold medallist at the 1988 Summer Olympics

title: Moerdijk


text:
Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten

Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten is a municipality consisting of the larger village of Nuenen and two adjacent smaller ones. It is located in the province of North Brabant, about 10 km east of Eindhoven, the fifth largest city in the Netherlands. From being a small farmers town of less than 1000 inhabitants around 1950 Nuenen grew steadily as ever more new employees of Philips and the Eindhoven University (TUE) chose Nuenen as their new home.

Population centres
• Eeneind

• Gerwen

• Nederwetten

• Nuenen

• Opwetten

• Stad van Gerwen

History
A battle fought in Nuenen during World War II was shown in an episode of the miniseries Band of Brothers. The historical battle took place there during Operation Market-Garden in September 1944.

Municipal government
As of the 2022 municipal election, The municipal council of Nuenen contains seven parties. As of 2018, the municipal executive consists of four coalition parties: W70 Nuenen, GreenLeft (GL), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Naturally Nuenen (Socialist Party before), the latter of which has an independent Alderman.

!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan=2|Party !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
 * bgcolor="#fcda00" width=2|
 * align=left|W70 Nunen||
 * align=left|Labour Party/GreenLeft||
 * align=left|People's Party for Freedom and Democracy||
 * align=left|Democrats 66||
 * bgcolor="#d3d3d3" width=2|
 * align=left|Combination Nuenen c.a.||
 * align=left|Christian Democratic Appeal||
 * bgcolor="#808080" width=2|
 * align=left|Lijst Pijs||
 * }
 * align=left|Democrats 66||
 * bgcolor="#d3d3d3" width=2|
 * align=left|Combination Nuenen c.a.||
 * align=left|Christian Democratic Appeal||
 * bgcolor="#808080" width=2|
 * align=left|Lijst Pijs||
 * }
 * bgcolor="#808080" width=2|
 * align=left|Lijst Pijs||
 * }
 * }

Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) spent two years in Nuenen from 1883 to 1885. His father lived and worked there as the Protestant pastor in the largely catholic environment. Van Gogh lived in the small carriagehouse next to the beautiful pastor's house, which is well preserved and visited by art lovers from all over the world. Van Gogh was extremely productive in his years in Nuenen. It is referred to as his so-called dark or sombre period. Here he painted his famous painting The Potato Eaters as well as Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen (Het uitgaan van de hervormde kerk te Nuenen). The latter painting was stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in December 2002.

Edsger Dijkstra
Edsger Dijkstra (1930–2002), Dutch computer scientist, then a professor in the Mathematics Department at the Technical University of Eindhoven, moved to a newly built house in Nuenen in 1964. Nuenen was added to the world map of computer science in 1973 when Dijkstra started to circulate his reports signed ‘Burroughs Research Fellow’ with his home address. Many thought that Burroughs, a company known at that time for the production of computers based on an innovative hardware architecture, was based in Nuenen. In fact, Dijkstra was the only research fellow of Burroughs Corporation and worked for it from home, occasionally travelling to its branches in the USA. Dijkstra moved in 1984 to the University of Austin, Texas, USA, until his retirement in the autumn of 1999. Dijkstra returned from Austin, terminally ill, to his original house in Nuenen in February 2002, where he died half a year later, on 6 August 2002.

Other notable people

 * Django Wagner, Dutch Wiki (born 1970 in Nuenen) a sinti, folk musician
 * Ruud Kuijten (born 1973 in Nuenen) a male, right-handed, Belgian badminton player
 * Willemijn Verkaik (born 1975) is a Dutch singer and actress, brought up in Nuenen
 * Paulus Schäfer (born 1978 in Gerwen) a gypsy jazz guitarist, composer and arranger
 * Steven Kruijswijk (born 1987 in Nuenen) a Dutch road bicycle racer

title: Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten