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Eindhoven is situated where the Dommel and the Gender rivers meet. It was granted
city rights in 1232 by Duke Hendrik I of Brabant, as well as the right to hold
a weekly market where farmers from nearby villages sold their produce. A new
castle was built within the city walls between 1413 and 1420, replacing the
smaller, older castle which had stood outside the walls.
Later, in 1486, the city was plundered by troops from Gelderland, leading to
the reconstruction of the castle and a stronger rampart. The city fell again
in 1543, when poverty led to the neglect of its defence system. The fire of
1554 destroyed thee-quarters of the city’s houses, but these were rebuilt
through assistance from William I of Orange. Eindhoven changed hands a number
of times between the Dutch and the Spanish during the Dutch Revolt, until it
was finally captured by Spanish troops in 1583. It did not become part of the
new Republic of the Netherlands until 1629.
Much of the city infrastructure, such as canals, roads and railways, was constructed
during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. The famous electronics
company, Philips, was founded as a lightbulb manufacturing city in 1891. With
the city’s manufacturing boom, a need for housing called for radical changes,
and in 1920 the five neighbouring municipalities of Woensel, Tongelre, Stratum,
Gestel en Blaarthem and Strijp were incorporated into the greater Eindhoven
area.
Due to its industrial importance, Eindhoven was the target of large-scale air
raids in World War II. Much of the old city was destroyed, and the reconstruction
that followed left little evidence of the city’s historical heritage.
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