Breda ( , , , ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the southern part of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, located in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...

. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

and Aa. Breda has 185,072 inhabitants on 13 September 2022 and is part of the

Brabantse Stedenrij Brabantse Stedenrij () is a term used in Dutch urban planning to designate the wikt:polycentric, polycentric city region in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands.Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

and

Tilburg Tilburg () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. With a population of 22 ...

. It is equidistant from

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

and

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. As a fortified city, it was of strategic military and political significance. Although a direct

fiefdom A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

, the city obtained a

municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...

; the acquisition of Breda, through marriage, by the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With t ...

ensured that Breda would be at the center of political and social life in the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

. Breda had a population of in ; the metropolitan area had a population of .

History

In the 11th century, Breda was a direct

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

, its earliest known lord being Henry of Brunesheim (1080–1125). The city of Breda obtained a

in 1252. After that Breda had the rights to build fortifications. The city constructed brick walls and Roman-style gates. In 1327, Adelheid of Gaveren sold Breda to Duke Johannes III of Brabant. In 1350, the fief was resold to Johannes II of Wassenaar (d. 1377). In 1403, the heiress of his line,

Johanna of Polanen Johanna van Polanen (also spelled as ''Jehenne''; 10 January 1392 – 15 May 1445) was a Dutch noblewoman. She was the daughter of John III of Polanen, Lord of Breda, and his wife, Odilia of Salm. The House of Polanen was a side branch of t ...

(1392–1445), married Engelbert I of Nassau (1370–1442; his

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

is in the Grote Kerk in Breda). Through her, the city came into the possession of the

, where it remained until 1795, passing to

William I of Orange William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (156 ...

(1533–1584),

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

, and

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

and leader of the

Dutch revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

. Thus, the baron of Breda was also Count of Nassau in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

, and (the main)

in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

(from 1572 to 1650, 1672–1702, 1747–1795). Breda remained part of the barony of Breda until it was captured by French revolutionary forces in 1795.

Residence city

The acquisition of the city by the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

marked its emergence as a ''residentiestad'' (residence city). The presence of the Orange-Nassau family attracted other nobles, who built palatial residences in the old quarters of the city. The most impressive one, built by the Italian architect Thomas Vincidor de Bologna for the first Dutch prince, was the first renaissance-style palace built north of the Alps. In the 15th century the city's physical, economic and strategic importance expanded rapidly. A great church was built in Brabantine Gothic style with an elegant tower, called ''Grote Kerk'' (main church) or also ''Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk'' (Church of Our Lady). In 1534 Henry III of Nassau-Breda rebuilt the modest medieval fortifications in impressive style. In 1534, a fire destroyed over nine tenths of the city, close to 1300 houses, churches, and chapels, and the town hall. Only 150 houses and the main church remained. In July 1581, during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

, Breda was captured in a surprise attack and siege by Spanish troops then under the command of Claudius van Barlaymont, whose

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

was Haultpenne. Although the city had surrendered upon the condition that it would not be plundered, the troops vented their fury upon the inhabitants. In the resulting mayhem, known as ''Haultpenne's Fury'', over 500 citizens were killed. In March 1590, Breda fell back into the hands of the Dutch and

Maurice of Nassau Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became Prince of Orange upo ...

, when a 68 men hand-picked force, concealed under the turf of a peat-boat, had contrived to enter the city in a daring plan devised by

Adriaen van Bergen A Dutch skipper from Leur, Adriaen van Bergen devised the plot to recapture the city of Breda from the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War. In February 1590, he approached Prince Maurice with a Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Troja ...

, known as the ruse with the Peat Ship of Breda. Around 1610 the construction of the Spanish Gate or "Spanjaardsgat" was started as a remembrance to that successful action. After a ten-month siege in 1624–25, the city again surrendered to the Spaniards, now led by Spinola; the event was immortalized by

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 15996 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the Noble court, court of King Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He i ...

. In the Siege of Breda of 1637 the city was recaptured by

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry (; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from his older half-brother's death on 23 April 1625 until his ...

, after a four-month siege, and in 1648 it was finally ceded to the

by the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two Peace treaty, peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy R ...

. In 1646, Frederick Henry founded the Orange College of Breda, modelled on

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, intending it to train young men of good family for the army and the civil service.

Lodewijck Huygens Lodewijck Huygens (13 March 1631 – 1 July 1699) was a Dutch diplomat. Life Huyghens was the third son of the diplomat Constantijn Huygens and Suzanna van Baerle. His two older brothers were Constantijn Huygens, Jr. and the scientist Christiaa ...

, ''The English Journal: 1651-1652'', p. 13

Stuart exiles

The exiled Stuart

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

resided in Breda for a little over a month of his time in exile during the

Cromwellian Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...

Commonwealth and

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

, thanks to the proximity of Charles's sister

Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Mary, Princess Royal (Mary Henrietta Stuart; 4 November 1631 – 24 December 1660), was a British princess, a member of the House of Stuart, and by marriage Princess of Orange and Countess of Nassau. She acted as regent for her minor s ...

, the widow of Prince William II of Orange (died 1702). Based mostly on suggestions by the Parliamentarian General

George Monck George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

, Charles II's

Declaration of Breda The Declaration of Breda (dated 4 April 1660) was a proclamation by Charles II of England in which he promised a general pardon for crimes committed during the English Civil War and the Interregnum for all those who recognised Charles as the la ...

(1660) announced his conditions for accepting the crown of England, which he was to regain a few months later in the year.

Later history

The Treaty of Breda was signed in the city on 31 July 1667, bringing to an end the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...

in which the Dutch faced the same Charles II who had been their guest. Between 1746 and 1748 it was the site of the

Congress of Breda The Congress of Breda, also known as the Breda peace talks, were a series of bilateral negotiations between Great Britain and France, held in the Dutch city of Breda from 1746 to 1748. The discussions led to the agreement of terms that later be ...

, a series of talks between Britain and France aimed at bringing an end to the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, which ultimately led to the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the city was under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation for over four years. During Operation Pheasant Breda was liberated following a successful outflanking manoeuvre planned and performed by forces of 1st Polish Armoured Division of General Maczek on 28 October 1944. Each year during

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...

festivities, Breda is visited by a large Polish contingent and the city of Breda reserves a special portion of the festivities for the fallen Polish soldiers. A museum and a monument honoring Maczek and the Polish 1st Armoured Division stands in the city center. General Maczek and many soldiers of his division are buried in the nearby Polish military cemetery. Breda was the site of one of the first

panopticon The panopticon is a design of institutional building with an inbuilt system of control, originated by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be ...

prison establishments, Koepelgevangenis. This prison housed the only German war criminals ever to be imprisoned in the Netherlands for their

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s during the Second World War. Known as " The Breda Four", or "Vier von Breda", they were Willy Paul Franz Lages, who was released in 1966 due to serious illness, Joseph Johann Kotalla, who died in prison in 1979, and Ferdinand aus der Fünten and Franz Fischer, who were both released in 1989 and died later the same year.

Administration

* Breda (''city'') (≈180,000) ** (''former village absorbed by city agglomeration'') ** Princenhage (''former village absorbed by city agglomeration'') * Prinsenbeek (≈11,500) (''added at the municipal reorganization in 1997'') * Bavel (≈7,000) (''added at the municipal reorganization in 1997'') * Teteringen (≈6,500) (''added at the municipal reorganization in 1997'') * Ulvenhout (≈4,700) (''added at the municipal reorganization in 1997'')

Administration

The municipality of Breda is divided in 11 sectors: # Breda Centrum (''center'') # Breda Noord ('' North'') # Breda Noord-West ( Haagse Beemden) (''Northwest'') # Prinsenbeek # Breda West (''West''), which includes Princenhage and the border crossing ' Hazeldonk' # Breda Zuid (''South''), which includes the Zandberg neighborhood # Breda Zuid-Oost (''Southeast''), which includes Ginneken # Ulvenhout # Bavel # Breda Oost (''East'') # Teteringen

Topography

''Topographic map image of the city of Breda, March 2014. Click to enlarge.''

Economy

Historically, economic activities were mainly industrial. Breda was a center of the food- and drink industry. Companies like

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

(lemonade), Van Melle ( Mentos), De Faam (liquorice) and Kwatta (chocolate) are famous throughout

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. Breda also had a

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

factory, supplying its best-known products. Breda formerly housed the largest brewery in the Netherlands ( Oranjeboom). The multinational

Interbrew Interbrew is subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is based in Breda, Netherlands. It has one subsidiary, Ambev S.A. of São Paulo, Brazil. Brands Interbrew brands have historically included Budweiser, Stella Artois, Boddingtons Brewery, Boddi ...

took over the brewery in 1995 and then closed it in 2004. Production of the ''Breda'' brand was moved to both Bremen and Leuven until 2008, when Randalls Brewery (in Guernsey) acquired the licence.

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

is now the only place in the world where draught Breda is brewed. However, the decline of industrial activity did not harm the city's economy. Nowadays, Breda is a service oriented economy based on business, trade and logistics. A growing number of international companies choose to establish their head office for Benelux operations and manufacturing in Breda. Examples of these companies are 3M

Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, in the United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate k ...

, Alfa Laval,

Amgen Amgen Inc. (formerly Applied Molecular Genetics Inc.) is an American multinational biopharmaceutical Corporation, company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. As one of the world's largest independent biotechnology companies, Amgen has a ...

, Dockwise,

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

, Krohne Oil & Gas, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers,

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...

, and

Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...

. Also, the food industry is still largely represented by companies such as

Anheuser-Busch InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...

, Hero Group, Perfetti Van Melle and . Furthermore, the city is host to the headquarters of the

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

. Because of its central location between the ports of

and

, the city also attracts logistics companies such as Van Wijngen International.

Koch Media Plaion GmbH (formerly Koch Media) is an Austrian media company headquartered in Höfen, Tyrol, with an additional office in Planegg, Germany. It was founded in 1994 by Franz Koch and Klemens Kundratitz. The company operates video game publishi ...

has its Benelux office in Breda. The main shopping areas of Breda are the city center and the southern part of Breda. Known shopping centers are De Barones and 't Sas. Major shopping streets are the Eindstraat, , Wilhelminastraat and Ginnekenweg. A market is held on the Grote Markt every Tuesday and Friday from 09:00 to 13:00. A book and antique market is held on Wednesday from 09:00 to 17:00.

Education

Breda became since 1970 a more specific ''education city'' and ''student city''. In 2012 there were 27,000 students registered in Middelbaar- and Hoger Onderwijs. Secondary education consists of; * vmbo – Pre-vocational secondary education *vmbo-theoretical or mavo – secondary general continued education * havo – higher general continued education * vwo – preparatory scientific education / atheneum / gymnasium Some schools offer bilingual English/Dutch education. ;Secondary schools in Breda; *Curio (umbrella organization) **De Rotonde (

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

– services & cuisine, mavo) ** ISK (international transition school) **Praktijkschool (practical special education) **Prinsentuin van Cooth ( vmbo – agriculture, services and agricultural products, care, mavo) **Scala (vmbo – art, theatre, multimedia, entrepreneurship, sports, mavo) *Koraal Group (umbrella organization, special education) **Brederocollege (special education vmbo) **De Kei (special education – mavo, havo) **Ginnekencollege (education program at juvenile justice institution ‘Den Hey Acker’) *De Campus (collaboration of three schools) **Markenhage ( Dalton Plan) ** Michaël College (

Waldorf education Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical sk ...

) **Orion

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

(havo, vwo) * Nassau Scholengemeenschap (mavo, havo, vwo) * Graaf Engelbrecht College (mavo, havo, vwo dedicated in sports) * Mencía de Mendoza Lyceum (Dutch & bilingual mavo, havo, vwo, atheneum) * Newman college (mavo, 'technasium' – havo, atheneum & gymnasium) *Onze Lieve Vrouwelyceum (havo, atheneum en gymnasium) *Stedelijk Gymnasium Breda *Tessenderlandt (vmbo – construction, mobility & transport, catering & recreation, healthcare & welfare, mavo) **Christoffel (special education) *International School Breda ( myp) *Libertad (

democratic education Democratic education is a type of formal education that is organized democratically, so that students can manage their own learning and participate in the governance of their educational environment. Democratic education is often specifically ...

) *Luzac (private school)

Vocational education

This type of education is called ' Middelbaar Beroepsonderwijs' (MBO). *De Rooi Pannen (hospitality and cuisine, events catering, tourism, leisure and marketing) *Curio, Frankenthalerstraat 15 (agriculture, bread and banquet) *Curio, Markendaalseweg 35 (hospitality, food and lifestyle, facility service) ** Cas Spijkers Academie (all-round culinary, catering and cuisine) *SVO (vocational training food) *Winford Academy (private school)

University of Applied Sciences

This type of education is called 'Hoger Beroepsonderwijs' (HBO) * Breda University of Applied Sciences (data science & AI, creative business, games, hotel, facility, logistics, built environment, tourism, leisure & events) *

Avans University of Applied Sciences Avans University of Applied Sciences () is a Dutch high ranked vocational university. It is located in three cities: Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg. The school has over 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 18 institutes. There are 3,000 ...

**Environmental Science for Sustainability, Ecosystems and Technology **Industrial Engineering and Management **International Business and Management Studies **International Financial Management **Faculty of Military Sciences (part of the Dutch Defense Academy NLDA) *Academie Sint-Joost (

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

– visual arts)

Military

* Koninklijke Militaire Academie (K.M.A.), NLDA – (service academy, for the Dutch Army, the

Dutch Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded i ...

and the

Royal Marechaussee The Royal Marechaussee (, abbreviated to KMar) also translated as the Royal Military Constabulary, is the national gendarmerie force of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national police ...

)

Main sights

The city center contains old buildings and portions of the ''singels'' (

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

s) and the harbour. Focal point is the Grote Markt, the main square with pubs and sidewalk cafes. Park Valkenberg is a major public park, halfway between the main railway station Breda and the Grote Markt. Major historic buildings include: * The Grote Kerk (Great Church) or Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk (Church of Our Lady), a major example of the Brabant style of

Gothic Architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

. * The Castle of Breda (houses the K.M.A). * The Bouvigne Castle (house the 'Brabantse Delta Water Board' since 1972) * The Begijnhof, a

Beguinage A beguinage, from the French language, French term , is an architectural complex which was created to house beguines: lay religious women who lived in community without taking vows or retiring from the world. Originally the beguine institution w ...

. * Saint Anthony's Cathedral (Sint-Antoniuskathedraal), the cathedral church of the Catholic Diocese of Breda. * City hall. * The , a 16th-century water gate (part of the K.M.A. complex) * The Koepelgevangenis (Breda) (Koepelprison).

Culture

The spoken dialect is West Brabantian, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch.

Carnaval

As in other cities and villages in the south of the Netherlands, 40 days before Easter the citizens of Breda celebrate Carnaval. A four day chain of foolish events, silliness, nonsensical costumes and a small beer on the side. During the event the mayor of the city, symbolically turns over the keys to the city to “Prince Carnaval” and his ‘Council of 11’. Breda has 4 festive monarchs, the Prince of Breda, Princenhage, Haagse Beemden and the Baron of Ginneken. For the occasion the city is renamed to ‘Kielengat’. Musically, the carnaval events traditionally are enlivened by wind bands called ‘Dweilorkesten' (Mop Orchestra’s). All pubs and bars participate in the event and on Sunday and Monday a large parade of floats and foolish creations slides through the streets. The events ends on the evening before

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

(Shrove Tuesday). The exclusive TV channel 'BaronieTV' broadcasts the events throughout the 'Barony of Breda'.

Theaters

*Chassé Theater (large regional theater and concert venue) *Nieuwe Veste (art & music center, concert house and music school) *Podium Bloos (cultural venue, dance, stage play, music and literature) *De Stilte (dance company and theater) *Muzipo (puppet theatre) *Poppodium Mezz (concert venue) *Poppodium Phoenix (concert venue) *Avenue (dinner show theatre & restaurant) *De Koe (social cultural center, concert venue)

Cinemas

*Chassé Cinema (film house connected to Chassé Theater) *Filmhuis Breda (independent cultural film house) *

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

Breda * Kinepolis Breda

Music festivals

*Breda Jazz Festival *Breda Barst (free rock festival) *Breda Live *Breda Dancetour (dance festival) *Spanjaardsgat Festival (classical music festival on a flouting stage in the old harbor) *Ploegendienst (dance festival) *Parkies (traveling summer festival) *Duikboot Festival *Tranen van Van Cooth ( Levenslied festival) * 538 Koningsdag – April 27, "national" kings birthday party organized by

Radio 538 Radio 538 () is a Dutch commercial radio station established in Hilversum, Netherlands, in 1992. It is the second-most listened to radio station in the Netherlands. The name “Radio 538” refers to the wavelength on which Radio Veronica broadc ...

*Breda Drijft – (Breda Floats, music festival on the moats)

Museums

Breda hosts the following museums: * Begijnhof Breda Museum (

museum) * Generaal Maczek Museum (museum dedicated to General Maczek) * Maczek Memorial Breda (memorial and graveside of General Maczek) * Bier Reclame Museum (Beer advertising museum & bar) * NAC Museum (museum of

NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eredivisi ...

) * Heemkundig Museum Paulus van Daesdonck (historical museum) * Museum Oorlog & Vrede (War and Peace Museum) *

Stedelijk Museum Breda The Stedelijk Museum Breda, formerly the Museum of the Image (MOTI), is a national museum for visual culture in Breda in the Netherlands. The museum focuses on film, design, photography, fashion, visual arts, architecture, science, and gaming. ...

(historical municipal museum) * Princenhaags Museum (historical village museum)

Other notable events

*BredaPhoto (outdoor photo exposition) *Graphic Matters (graphic design festival) *Cultuurnacht (culture night) *Lichtsloepen Parade (illuminated boat parade) *Brabantse Kastelendag (provincial open castle day) *International Film Festival Breda *Stripbeurs (

comic book convention A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...

)

Harley Day

The Harley Dag was one of the biggest one-day motorcycle events of Europe, held on the third Sunday of August. The American motorcycle brands Harley Davidson and Indian were the main guests of the day. Other American brands were also welcomed to the city center. All other brands had to park at a dedicated parking outside the city center. At the peak over 10,000 motorcycles visited the city and attracted an audience of a 100,000 people. 2010 was the 22nd and last official edition.

Roodharigedag

Redhead Day (nl; Roodharigedag) is a festival that between 2007 and 2011 took place in Breda during first weekend of September. Since 2019 the festival relocated to

. The two-day festival is a gathering of people with natural red hair, but is also focused on art related to the colour red. Activities during the festival are lectures, workshops and demonstrations. The festival attracts attendance from 20 countries and was free due to sponsorship of the local government. Furthermore, some people referred to Breda as the opposite of burning man. As the festival grew bigger they needed a new spot to host the ever growing event.

Sports

Football

Breda's only professional

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

, is

. The club plays in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

and their home stadion is the Rat Verlegh Stadion. The club became National Champion, once in 1921. The former Cadet football association ‘Velocitas’ of the military academy won the ''Holdertbeker'' (the predecessor of the

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

) in 1899-1900. Besides NAC there are more amateur football clubs among others; *v.v. Baronie * * * * *The Gunners

Hockey

Breda also plays a big role in the hockey department. supplied high-level players to the national women and men teams of the Netherlands and played in the

Hoofdklasse The Vierde Divisie (; "Fourth Division"), formerly known as Hoofdklasse () is the second-highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fifth tier in general. Background The league was divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunda ...

them self. A few of Push’s national team players for example are: Bram Lomans, Matthijs Brouwer, Thom van Dijck, Joep de Mol, Floris Wortelboer, Teun Beins, Cécile Vinke and Malou Pheninckx. * * (hockey &

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

club)

Athletics

Breda's athletics club, , is with around 2000 members, the largest club of its kind in the Netherlands. Beside the usual athletics sports at their own track, they offer,

nordic walking Nordic walking is a Finland, Finnish-origin total-body version of walking that can be done both by non-athletes as a health-promoting physical activity and by athletes as a sport. The activity is performed with specially designed walking poles sim ...

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

, bootcamp and

parasports Parasports are sports played by people with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. Some parasports are forms of adapted physical activities from existing non-disabled sports, while others have been specifically created f ...

Other sports

*SBC2000 (

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

) *Breda's Rugby club *Breda's Golden Glory (

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

camp) *Bredase Bowling Vereniging, playing in the first European bowling alley *Boxing association 'Bredase Ring' *Fier (

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), ...

) *

Roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

Breda *Cadetten Roei – en Zeilvereniging 'Dudok van Heel' (

Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

and

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

, Military academy) *BRESS, Bredase Student Sports

Venues

*Municipally Sport center Breda a.k.a. ‘De Scharen’ *de Drie Linden, Prinsenbeek *de Doelen, Princenhage *Bruut (bouldering) *Zwembad Sonsbeeck (swimming pool) *Sports Boulevard **Schaats- en Racketcentrum Breda (iceskating, racket sports) **Zwembad De Wisselaar (swimming pool) **Wielerbaan Breda (cycle sport)

Sport events

*Singelloop Every year in October, the is a major road running event on the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

distance with a field of national and international athletes. Similar events are held in Princenhage (10 van 't Aogje) and Haagse Beemden (Haagse Beemden Loop) although the maximum distances are 10 kilometer. *Outdoor Brabant The equestrian sports event Outdoor Brabant started out as "Military Breda" in the woods around

Galder Tom Rune Andersen (born 18 October 1976), also known by his stage name Galder, is a Norwegian guitarist and vocalist. He is from the small town of Jessheim, north of Oslo. He is a founding member of the melodic black metal band Old Man's Child ...

and a Four-in-hand

Combined driving Combined driving (also known as horse driving trials) is an equestrian sport involving driving (horse), carriage driving. In this discipline, the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three p ...

competition, near the village Princenhage. Later these merged and both moved to the southwest of Princenhage where the event changed into "Breda Hippique". The event consists of

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

eventing Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

, and Combined driving. For a couple of years the event was free of charge to the public, due to sponsoring by a major bank. When the sponsorship ended a relative high fee was charged to enter the event.

Para Sports

*Special Olympics Nationale Spelen In 2024 together Breda and Tilburg host the Special Olympics National Games. The biggest national sports event aseptically for people with a mental disability. 2500 athletes competed in 21 sports. *European Para Championships Between August 8 and 20, 2023, the European Para Championships were held in Breda. 1,500 athletes from 45 countries participated in the event. *ParaGamesBreda In 2011, the ParaGamesBreda received 3,000 athletes from 40 countries.

UEFA Women's Championship 2017

In 2017 the NAC Breda Stadion was one of the hosts of the Women's European Football Championship. Together with

Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...

Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Dutch Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ) is a city and Municipalities in the Netherlands, municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the IJssel, Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the Provinces of the Netherland ...

and

. The Dutch women won the tournament in the

De Grolsch Veste De Grolsch Veste (; ), previously known as Arke Stadion (), is the stadium of football club FC Twente. It is located in Enschede, Netherlands, at the Business & Science Park, near the University of Twente. The stadium has an all-seated capacity ...

in Enschede.

Demographics

Religion

In 2014, the largest religion in Breda was

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, comprising 50.4% of its population. The next largest faith is

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

adhered to by 3.6% of residents. Religiously unaffiliated people made up 44.9% of the population.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic make-up of Breda, in 2020, was as follows: * Dutch (140,312) (75.45%) *

Moroccans Moroccans () are the Moroccan nationality law, citizens and nationals of the Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who ...

(5,712) (3.1%) *

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

ns (5,332) (2.9%) * Turks (3,080) (1.7%) *

Belgians Belgians ( ; ; ) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural rather than ethnic. The majority ...

(2,940) (1.6%) *

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

(2,661) (1.5%) * Antilleans/

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

ns (2,211) (1.2%) * Polish (2,165) (1.2%) *

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

se (2,058) (1.1%) * Irish (65) (0.08%)

Notable residents

, lived in Breda for most of his exile during the period of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

. His sister,

was widow of

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

William II, Prince of Orange William II (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Willem II''; 27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650) was sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrecht, Guelders, Lordship of Ove ...

and co-regent for their son William III sovereign Prince of Orange and later King of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. * Stadtholder

William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

, 'Lord of Breda' and his wife Anna van Egmont, Princess consort of Orange, had their residence at the Breda Castle. Anna is buried in the Prince chapel at the Grote Kerk. *

René of Chalon René of Chalon (5 February 1519 – 15 July 1544), also known as Renatus of Chalon, was a Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Gelre. Life René was born in Breda, the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Br ...

, the first of the Nassau family bearing the tile 'Prince of Orange', was born and lived in the Breda Castle. He passed the title to his paternal cousin William of Nassau-Dillenburg (William the Silent). * Although neither of them were long-term residents of Breda, it was there, in 1618, that the young

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

(at the time, a soldier in the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau) first met, and had extensive conversations with, Dutch philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

Isaac Beeckman Isaac Beeckman (10 December 1588van Berkel, p10 – 19 May 1637) was a Dutch philosopher and scientist, who, through his studies and contact with leading natural philosophers, may have "virtually given birth to modern atomism".Harold J. Cook, in ...

(then temporarily resident in the town). This interaction with Beeckman seems to have changed the course of Descartes’ intellectual life, eventually leading him to the major innovations in mathematics, science, and philosophy for which he is famous. Stephen Gaukroger. ''Descartes: An Intellectual Biography.'' Oxford University Press, 1995. * "Colonel" Thomas Parker, the manager of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, born and raised in Breda as Andreas Cornelius van Kuijk. *

Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck (1618 – 1655) was a lawyer and landholder, landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific ''Jonkheer'' the city of Yonkers, New York, is named. Although he was not, as sometimes claimed, the first ...

(c. 1618–1655), first lawyer in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam; a polyglot * Breda is the birthplace and home to several internationally famous

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

artists including R3hab,

Dannic Daan Romers (; born 10 November 1985), better known by his stage name Dannic (stylized as DɅNNIC), is a Dutch people, Dutch Disc jockey, DJ and Electronic dance music, EDM record producer, producer. He is known for his work in collaborations wi ...

, W&W along with former '' World No.1 DJs'' —

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...

and

Hardwell Robbert van de Corput (; born 7 January 1988), known professionally as Hardwell, is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted the world's number one DJ by ''DJ Mag'' in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2022, he was ranked at number 43 in ...

. The title of their 2011 collaboration track, ''Zero 76'' is derived from the dialing code of Breda. * Breda is also the birthplace of former Olympic swimmer Karin Brienesse and former

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

player Remco van Wijk, who twice won the gold medal at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

with the Dutch National Team: 1996 and 2000. * Sculptor Jan De Swart, born in Ginneken, a suburb of Breda, and lived in the area until he emigrated to The United States in 1929 * Pioneering Dutch composer Jan Ingenhoven (1876-1951) was born in Breda, and it's the city where the Dutch composers Daan Manneke and Kristoffer Zegers live. * Thomas Simon Cool, Dutch historical and genre painter, resided and taught in Breda 1866-1870 * The Dutch football international Pierre van Hooijdonk played in Breda. Other formerly international Dutch football players from NAC Breda were Antoon (Rat) Verlegh, Kees Rijvers, Kees Kuijs, Leo Canjels, Daan Schrijvers, Frans Bouwmeester, Nico Rijnders, Ad Brouwers, Bertus Quaars, Martin Vreysen and Ton Lokhoff. * Ramon Dekkers, Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion, was born and died in Breda * , famous Dutch stand-up comedian *

Virgil van Dijk Virgil van Dijk (; born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains both club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation and ...

, Dutch professional footballer playing center-back for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

* Sylvie Meis, Dutch television personality, model and ex-wife of football player Rafael van der Vaart was born in Breda *

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder ( , ; ; – 9 September 1569) was among the most significant artists of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaking, printmaker, known for his landscape art, landscape ...

, famous Netherlandish painter

Transportation

Trains

Breda has two railway stations,

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

and Breda-Prinsenbeek, providing ’Sprinter’ and

Inter-city Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

connections throughout the Netherlands. Inter-city destinations from Breda to the North are

Den Haag The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

; east to

Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

and

Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...

; west to Roosendaal and

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

. The regional Sprinter-trains connect the smaller towns,

Gilze en Rijen Gilze en Rijen () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, 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 centur ...

Etten-Leur Etten-Leur () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. Its name is a combination of the two villages from which the municipality originally arose: Etten and Leur. History The villages were always pa ...

Lage Zwaluwe Lage Zwaluwe is a village in the municipality Drimmelen, North Brabant, the Netherlands. The Lage Zwaluwe railway station and the Moerdijk bridges lie to the west of the village. History The village was first mentioned in as 1291 Zwaluwe, and ...

and

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...

with Breda. The Breda-Prinsenbeek railway station is only served by Sprinter-trains. The 'Intercity direct' uses the

HSL-Zuid The HSL-Zuid (, ), is a 125 kilometre-long (78 mile) High-speed rail in the Netherlands, Dutch high-speed rail line running between the Amsterdam metropolitan area and the Belgium–Netherlands border, Belgian border, with a branch to Breda, ...

for a high-speed connection with the

Rotterdam Centraal station Rotterdam Centraal station (; ) is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in South Holland, Netherlands. The station received an average of 112,000 passengers daily in 2019. The current station building, located at Station Square, was of ...

Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municip ...

and

Amsterdam Centraal station Amsterdam Centraal station ( ; Railway stations in the Netherlands, abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international Rail transport, railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passeng ...

. Between Rotterdam and Schiphol there is an extra surcharge for this train. The international train from Amsterdam to

Brussels-South railway station Brussels-South railway station, also known as Brussels-Midi railway station (; ), is a major railway station in Brussels, Belgium. Geographically, it is located in Saint-Gilles, Belgium, Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis on the border with the adjacent ...

also stops in Breda and connects the city with these destinations via the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway. The train is operated by a corporation between

NS International NS International, formerly ''NS Hispeed'', is a Rail transport in the Netherlands, passenger railway operator based in the Netherlands that operates international InterCity, intercity and High-speed rail, high-speed connections to several Europea ...

and the

National Railway Company of Belgium The National Railway Company of Belgium (, NMBS; , SNCB; ) is the national railway company of Belgium. The company formally styles itself using the Dutch and French abbreviations NMBS/SNCB. The corporate logo designed in 1936 by Henry van de Ve ...

(NMBS).

Buses

There are four kinds of buses in Breda: citybuses, regional, intercity and international. City and regional buses are operated by Arriva under the alias 'Bravo' ('' BRAbant Vervoert Ons''). Citybuses drive only within de city of Breda; *1 – Hoge Vucht <-> Breda bus station <-> Nieuw Wolfslaar / Bavel *2 – Hoge Vucht <-> Breda bus station <-> Haagse Beemden *4 – Princenhage <-> Breda bus station <-> Haagse Beemden *5 – Breda bus station <-> Heusdenhout *6 – Breda bus station <-> Meersel-Dreef *7 – Nieuw Wolfslaar <-> Breda bus station <-> Heusdenhout *8 – Breda bus station <-> Breda University of Applied Sciences (Ignatiusstraat) *9 – Breda bus station <->

Regional buses provide connections to nearby towns and cities; *115 –

Zundert Zundert () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium, in the province of North Brabant. Zundert is the birthplace of Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter Vincent va ...

*119 – Zevenbergen *177 – Zevenbergen, Klundert, Fijnaart *122 – Hooge Zwaluwe,

*130 – Rijen, Gilze *132 – Chaam,

Baarle-Nassau Baarle-Nassau () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. It had a population of in . The town is the site of a complicated borderline between Belgium and the Netherlands: it encloses 22 ...

Baarle-Hertog (; , ) is a Flemish municipality of Belgium, much of which consists of a number of small Belgian enclaves fully surrounded by the Netherlands. Parts of are surrounded by the Dutch province of North Brabant, but it is part of the Belgian prov ...

*216 –

(departure near Breda-Prinsenbeek train station) *311 – Etten-Leur (center),

Oudenbosch Oudenbosch () is a town in the Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Halderberge in the west of the Dutch province of North Brabant. Oudenbosch is well known for its Oudenbosch Basilica, 'Basiliek', a Catholic church that is a smaller ...

, Oud Gastel *312 – Etten-Leur, Roosendaal *316 – Etten-Leur (north) *325 –

Oosterhout Oosterhout (; from ''ooster'', "eastern", and ''hout'', "woods") is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in southern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . Population centers The municipality of Ooste ...

(Hoofseweg / Het Goorke) *326 – Oosterhout, Geertruidenberg *327 – Oosterhout, Tilburg *615 – Zundert, Berkenring – Breda, Mencia de Mendoza (student bus runs twice a day) The more luxurious intercity buses, called 'Brabantliner' connect Breda with both

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( ), pronunciation respelling, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The munici ...

(402) and

(400 & 401). These lines are a compensation for the lack of direct train connection between the cities. There also was a

dic busline (19) which connected

Hulst Hulst () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders. History Hulst received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in the 12th century. Hulst Siege of Hulst ...

(

Zeelandic Flanders Zeelandic Flanders ( ; ; )''Vlaanderen'' in isolation: . is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland and th ...

) and Breda via

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The line was operated by Connexxion and in the passed by the Belgian

De Lijn Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (, ), more commonly known as De Lijn, is a state-owned enterprise run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transport with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the ...

. After 71 years the line was canceled in 2024. International buses are operated by several providers. From the international bus stop at the Breda railway station, multiple options are possible. Low-cost

intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

FlixBus FlixBus (; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost Intercity bus service, intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. It is owned by , which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, , and Greyhound Lines. F ...

provides a regular timetable to Bercy, Seine via Antwerp or Gent-Dampoort. In addition, two routes to the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n capital

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. Either via Antwerp – Maastricht – Aachen or via Eindhoven –

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

to Cologne/Bonn Airport station – Frankfurt am Main Hbf to

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

, with the final station Autogara Militari. The company also offers a tree times a week services to

Brussels-North railway station Brussels-North railway station (; ) is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, Belgium; the other two are Brussels Central Station, Brussels-Central and Brussels-South railway station, Brussels-South. Every regular domestic and i ...

from the Breda-Prinsenbeek international bus stop. The BlaBlaCar bus provides an (almost) daily timetable between Breda – Utrecht – Amsterdam – Schiphol and Sloterdijk in the early morning. In addition, BlaBlaCar bus provides an international timetable to Antwerp – Brussels, Center – Brussels-South railway station – Paris, Gare de Paris Bercy with the final station at Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport. Flibco offers an airport shuttle service from Breda to Brussel, Zaventem Airport and Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Roads

*The A16 / E19 is a motorway in the west, going northbound to

and southbound to the Belgian border at Hazeldonk/Meer following in the direction of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

as A1 and through to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as E19. *In the East the A27 / E311 is also a motorway to the north; It connects Breda with

and

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands across the IJmeer fro ...

. *Passing South of the city, the A58 connects Breda with

and

in an easterly direction and Roosendaal,

Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the Brabantian dialect, local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the Province ...

, Middelburg and Vlissingen in a westerly direction. *Further north of Breda runs the A59 from

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

Willemstad Willemstad ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the cap ...

, following as N59 to

Zierikzee Zierikzee () is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikze ...

. The Interchanges 'Sint-Annabosch' (A58/A27), 'Galder' (A16/A58), 'Zonzeel' (A16/A59) and 'Hooipolder' (A27/A59) connecting them all.

Waterway

The city owes its existence to the accessibility by water. As from the beginning of the city, the rivers

and Aa were used for trading and supplying the city. Today the city is accessible for pleasure boating from the north. There is an open connection to the

Volkerak The Volkerak is a body of water in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, and is situated between the island Goeree-Overflakkee to the north-west and the Dutch mainland to the south and east. The western part of the Volke ...

via the Mark and connection to the

Wilhelmina Canal The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in North-Brabant, Netherlands. It connects Tilburg to the Meuse, and continues to the east to connect to the Zuid-Willemsvaart north of Helmond. Characteristics The Wilhelmina Canal runs from the Zuid-Willemsvaar ...

through the Mark Canal. The Dintel/Mark is accessible for cargo ships up to 86 meters (282 ft) long from Dintelsas to Breda. The 'Werve' yacht port provides a berth for passing pleasure ships just north of the city center.

Airport

The small airport Breda International Airport is located west of the city. The airport was opened in 1949 as Seppe Airfield and is in limited use for civil aviation. The departures from the airport are mostly business trips, sightseeing trips and teaching activities.

Twin towns – sister cities

Breda is twinned with: *

Diest Diest () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around ...

, Belgium *

Dillenburg Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday roa ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* Orange,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

References

;Notes ;Literature *

External links

* * * {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant