Eindhoven is known primarily for being the headquarters of the multinational giant Philips. Soccer buffs will of course, beg to differ – soccer giants PSV Eindhoven too have their headquarters here and at least ten million folks worldwide can’t think ‘Eindhoven’ without thinking of them. The city, a commune in the Noord-Brabant province of the southern Netherlands, received a charter as a township in the mid 13^th century, remained a small town until the 19^th century when industries came to Eindhoven and made it one of the major economic centres of the Netherlands. Today, Eindhoven is home to a wide range of industries, including electrical goods, electronics, textiles, tobacco and automobiles.

But Eindhoven isn't just about industrial giants and football clubs, it also has a number of fine museums and art galleries.

Among Eindhoven’s museums are the DAF Museum, housing a collection of some 120-odd vintage cars and larger vehicles, the Prehistoric Museum, a depiction of a typical Iron Age Kempisch village and the Van Abbe Museum of modern art.

The theme parks of Eindhoven include the sculpture-filled City Parc, and the larger, more famous De Efteling Parc. The latter is actually about 45 km out of Eindhoven, and is one of the prettiest theme parks in the Netherlands - it’s like an illustration out of a fairytale book and it’s meant not just for children but also for anyone who’s young at heart.

Eindhoven has a small airstrip at Welschap, which is about 3 km from town; in addition, the city is well connected by road and rail to other towns and cities in the country. Amsterdam is a one and a half hour trip away by bus and Rotterdam just over an hour away fromEindhoven. The Eindhoven and Beatrix canals are the two main waterways leading to the city, and there’s a fair amount of traffic along both. Once you’re in town, there’s a considerable range of accommodation to choose from - large luxury properties of international chains on the one hand, and smaller, cheaper pensiones and hostels on the one hand, and smaller, cheaper pensiones and hostels on the other.

For detailed country and visitor information, see Netherlands.