Market Square
Markt

Markt is a square that forms the historical heart of Eindhoven. The area originally served as a trading place for local farmers, craftsmen and merchants and was long the most important meeting place for citizens both in daily life and at festive events. Although Eindhoven as a city has developed greatly in the 20th century, Markt has retained its status as a central hub.

The square itself is surrounded by a number of restaurants, cafés and bars, where many of the buildings combine modern facades with historical features reminiscent of the architecture of earlier times. The square has undergone several changes, especially after the Second World War, when large parts of the city center were rebuilt after destruction. Today, the square is a good starting point for shopping and trips to the city’s attractions, and Markt is also known for its markets, which are held selling everything from fresh local produce and cheeses to flowers and crafts.

Philips Museum

The Philips Museum is a museum housed in and around the Philips Gloeilampenfabriekje, the small factory building where Philips’ history began in the late 19th century. It was here that Gerard and Anton Philips started the production of incandescent bulbs and laid the foundation for the company that would later grow into a global technology giant. Today, the building stands as a symbol of both industrial history, entrepreneurship and the transformation that made Eindhoven the technological capital of the Netherlands.

The factory has been preserved as a museum and visitor center, where you can see how the earliest incandescent bulbs were manufactured. Machines, tools and work processes have been reconstructed to provide insight into the precise craftsmanship and technical skills required at the beginning of the electrical age. The exhibition also provides an insight into the working conditions at the time, when production was characterized by manual labor, precision and long working hours in a period when electrical products were still relatively new and exclusive.

Visitors also gain an understanding of the innovative power that characterized Philips from the beginning. The early experiments with filaments and production techniques laid the seeds for the company’s later success in radios, medical technology, television, audio, household appliances and lighting design. The factory thus stands not only as a monument to industrial history, but as a testament to technological development and pioneering spirit.

The Light Tower & The White Lady
Lichttoren & De Witte Dame

The Lichttoren is one of the most iconic industrial buildings in Eindhoven and a direct reminder of Philips’ heyday throughout the 20th century. The building was built as a test center for incandescent bulbs, where thousands of bulbs were tested for durability and quality. The characteristic round tower on the corner served as a test tower, and the constant glow from the bulbs gave the building its name Lichttoren or Light Tower. This function made the Lichttoren a landmark and a symbol of the city’s role as a global manufacturer of light.

After Philips moved its production out of the city center, the building stood for a period as an industrial relic, but was later thoroughly restored and transformed. Today it is one of the best examples of Eindhoven’s post-industrial transformation. The raw concrete materials, large windows and industrial details have been preserved, while the building now houses modern homes, offices, creative businesses and restaurants. The combination of old and new creates an urban dynamic atmosphere.

De Witte Dame, located nearby, is equally important for the city’s identity. This building was also built for Philips and served for many years as a factory for radio and electronic equipment. The white facade and horizontal lines are characteristic of the early functional architecture of industrialism. In contrast to the Lichttoren, De Witte Dame has been given a new lease of life as a knowledge and design center, housing, among other things, a library, a design school and start-up companies.

St. Catherine’s Church
St. Catharinakerk

St. Catharinakerk is a masterpiece of Dutch neo-Gothic architecture and one of the most prominent churches in the southern Netherlands. The church was built in the 1860s as part of the Catholic revival that took place after a long period when Catholicism had limited opportunities in the country. The architect Pierre Cuypers, who would later be responsible for some of the Netherlands’ most iconic buildings, chose a style inspired by French High Gothic, which is clearly visible in the two towers that rise symmetrically and purposefully towards the sky.

Inside, St. Catharinakerk appears as a colorful and symbolic universe. The mosaic windows tell stories from both the Old and New Testaments, and their intense colors give the room an almost spiritual light, especially on sunny days. The stonework is decorated with ornamentation, statues and reliefs that reflect both medieval traditions and Cuypers’ strong interest in religious art. The church space is large, but feels intimate due to the detailed decoration and the warm colors used.

One of the most notable elements is the church’s large organ, which has a long history and has been restored several times to preserve its original sound. The church serves as a concert venue for choirs, organ music, chamber music and major classical works, precisely because the acoustics are among the best in the region. The music life is an important part of the church’s identity and means that it attracts audiences who do not necessarily come for religious reasons.

City Hall Square
Stadhuisplein

Stadhuisplein is Eindhoven’s modern large square. It is located next to the city hall, which has given the square its name. The place was developed during the second half of the 20th century as part of the city’s new center, where large open spaces and modern buildings replaced the older structures. Today, Stadhuisplein is one of the city’s most important public urban spaces, and a number of modern structures are located around it.

Stadhuisplein is a central location for sporting events, for example, where large screens are set up for international football matches or sporting events. Thousands of people gather here to celebrate victories or support the national team. From the square, you can see Eindhoven’s current city hall to the south. It is a modern building that was inaugurated in 1969.

Van Abbemuseum

The Van Abbemuseum is one of the Netherlands’ most important museums for modern and contemporary art and has played a central role in Eindhoven’s cultural life since its opening in 1936. The museum is named after its founder Henri van Abbe, a tobacco manufacturer and passionate art collector who wanted to create a place where the public could have access to international art. The original part of the building is a classic museum structure, while a large and strikingly modern extension from the early 2000s gives the place a visual duality that reflects the mix of tradition and innovation.

The collection consists of several thousand works from some of the 20th century’s most influential artists, including Picasso, Kandinsky, Chagall, Beuys and Lissitzky. The museum is particularly known for its collection of Russian constructivism and for its large amount of material related to the artist El Lissitzky, which has made the place relevant in a global art context. Paintings, photography, sculpture, video and installation art are exhibited.

One of the museum’s strengths is its exploratory curatorial approach. It often works with exhibitions that question how art is presented and understood. At the museum, you can also encounter experimental forms of communication that invite the audience to reflect on the role of art in society. The museum also regularly organizes international collaborative projects and research initiatives.

DAF Museum

The DAF Museum tells the story of the iconic Dutch vehicle manufacturer DAF, founded in Eindhoven in 1928. The museum is located in a historic factory building and houses one of Europe’s most comprehensive collections of passenger cars, trucks, prototypes and special vehicles. Here, visitors can experience everything from the earliest trucks and unique experimental models to the small variomatic cars that made the brand famous in the 1960s.

The museum provides a detailed insight into the development of DAF’s technological innovations. It was the famous variomatic transmission in particular that made DAF cars some of the world’s first mass-produced cars with a continuously variable automatic transmission. This invention was so groundbreaking that it later formed the basis for modern CVT technology, which is used globally in today’s cars.

The exhibitions are arranged in thematic sections, making it easy to follow the company’s development over time. There is a focus on military vehicles, fire engines, heavy commercial vehicles and rare prototypes, many of which never went into production. Part of the museum is built as a historic street with small shops, a workshop environment and atmosphere from the 1930s, which provides a vivid experience of the Eindhoven of the period.

preHistoric Village
preHistorisch Dorp

preHistorisch Dorp is one of the most exciting historical experience sites in the Netherlands, and it functions as a living open-air museum, where visitors move through a number of time periods from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages. The museum is not just built as a series of decorative backdrops. It is a fully functioning environment, where archaeological knowledge and historical craftsmanship have been recreated with high accuracy. Each village, farm or hut is built based on historical finds, traditional building methods and documented knowledge of materials, tools and lifestyle.

One of the museum’s great strengths is the way it involves visitors in the activities. Instead of viewing the past from a distance, you can participate in everyday tasks that were previously essential for survival. This can include grinding grain between hand mills, crafting primitive tools, making pottery, weaving textiles, or shooting with a bow and arrow. Activities vary by season, and many are conducted with interpreters dressed in period clothing and acting like people from that time.

The interpreters are often professional actors or specially trained museum interpreters, and they play a central role. They tell stories, demonstrate techniques, hold small workshops, and engage the audience in conversations about everything from trade and agriculture to faith, technology, and family relationships in historical times. This creates a dynamic meeting between the present and the past, allowing visitors to experience the culture rather than just read about it.

Strijp-S

Strijp-S is one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the Netherlands and a prime example of how former industrial areas can be transformed into modern, creative districts. The area was once a closed industrial complex owned by Philips, to which ordinary citizens had no access. Here, the company developed and produced some of its most groundbreaking technologies, and the complex functioned almost like a city within a city with its own infrastructure, buildings, workshops and research facilities.

After Philips moved out, the opportunity opened up for a complete rethinking of the area. Today, Strijp-S is a vibrant neighborhood with a mix of housing, office spaces, design studios, music venues, cafés, restaurants and cultural institutions. Many of the old factory buildings such as Klokgebouw, Veemgebouw and Machinekamer have been preserved and rebuilt with respect for their industrial expression. The result is an area where concrete, steel and pipe tunnels meet warm, modern materials and innovative functions.

Strijp-S also plays a central role in cultural and creative events. During Dutch Design Week, the area is one of the main hubs where international designers exhibit furniture, installations, digital art forms and experimental projects. Creative companies, startups and cultural actors have made Strijp-S a springboard for innovation, and the area has become known as Eindhoven’s creative engine. In addition, Strijp-S is perceived as a social and urban playground, where the urban space is actively used by residents and visitors.

Evoluon

One of Eindhoven’s most striking buildings, Evoluon is a work that still stands as a symbol of technological optimism and futurism, despite its age. The gigantic bowl-shaped building was built in 1966 by Philips as an interactive, future-oriented science museum. The building’s design, reminiscent of a landing spaceship, was groundbreaking for its time and quickly became a landmark for the city and for Philips’ identity as a technological pioneer in the Netherlands.

Inside, the museum was originally filled with interactive exhibits on everything from electronics and telecommunications to space travel and modern science. Inspired by international science centres, Evoluon emphasised practical hands-on learning, making it one of the most popular museums in the country throughout the 1970s and 80s. When the museum later closed, the building was used as a conference and event centre, but its iconic status was retained. It became a symbol of Eindhoven as the city that invented the future, and it stands as an important example of futuristic 1960s architecture in Europe.

After a major revitalisation, Evoluon has once again taken on a cultural function as a museum and experience centre, focusing on the relationship between people and technology, visions of the future and sustainability. The distinctive building thus remains a place where you can experience both the history of technology and modern reflections on the society of the future.