North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a

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 ...

in the south 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 ...

. It borders the provinces of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

and

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

to the north, Limburg to the east,

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 ...

to the west, and the Flemish provinces of

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 ...

and Limburg to the south. The northern border follows the

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

westward to its mouth in the Hollands Diep strait, part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. North Brabant had a population of about 2,626,000 as of January 2023. Major cities in North Brabant are

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 ...

(pop. 231,642),

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 ...

(pop. 217,259),

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. ...

(pop. 183,873), its provincial capital

'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 ...

(pop. 154,205), and Helmond (pop. 94,967) NuenenVincentPark resize

History

The

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...

was a state of 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 ...

established in 1183 or 1190. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

from 1482, until it was split up after the Dutch revolt. After the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, Catholics in the Southern Netherlands were systematically and officially discriminated against by the Northern Protestant government until the second half of the 19th century, which had a major influence on the economic and cultural development of the southern part of the Netherlands. Present-day North Brabant (''Staats-Brabant'') was adjudicated to the Generality Lands of 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 ...

according to the 1648

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two 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 Roman Empire ...

, while the reduced duchy remained in existence with the Southern Netherlands until it was conquered by French Revolutionary forces in 1794. Until the 17th century, the area that now makes up the province of North Brabant was mostly part of the Duchy of Brabant, of which the southern part is now in

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 ...

. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the area experienced a golden age—especially the now-Belgian cities 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 ...

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

and

, and the Dutch cities of

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 ...

and

. After the

Union of Utrecht The Union of Utrecht () was an alliance based on an agreement concluded on 23 January 1579 between a number of Habsburg Netherlands, Dutch provinces and cities, to reach a joint commitment against the king, Philip II of Spain. By joining forces ...

was signed in 1579, Brabant became a battlefield between the Protestant

and Catholic

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, which occupied the southern Netherlands. As a result of the Peace of Westphalia, the northern part of Brabant became part of the Netherlands as the

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

of Staats-Brabant (Statal Brabant) under federal rule, in contrast to the founding

s of the

, which were self-governing. Attempts to introduce Protestantism into the region were largely unsuccessful; North Brabant remained strongly Catholic. For over a century, North Brabant served mainly as a military buffer zone. In 1796, when the confederate Dutch Republic became the unitary

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...

, Staats-Brabant became a province as ''Bataafs Brabant''. This status ended with the reorganisation by the invading French, and the area was united into the '' département'' of Deux-Nèthes (present province of Antwerp). In 1815, Belgium and the Netherlands were united in the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...

, and the province of North Brabant was established and so named to distinguish it from Central Brabant and South Brabant in present-day

, which seceded from the Kingdom in 1830. This boundary between the Netherlands and Belgium is special in that it does not form a contiguous line, but leaves a handful of tiny enclaves (and enclaves inside enclaves) on both sides of the border. In fact, the Dutch government generally used the pre-Napoleonic borders in 1815 to divide its provinces, in hommage to the principle of Restoration. A few of these irregularities were corrected ( Luyksgestel was exchanged for

Lommel Lommel () is a municipality and city in the Belgian province of Limburg. Lying in the Kempen, it has about 34,000 inhabitants and is part of the arrondissement of Maaseik. Besides the residential town, Lommel also has a number of nature reserv ...

), Huijbergen became totally Dutch, but some remain, notably

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 ...

(Belgian) and Baarle-Nassau (Dutch). When the present province was instituted, its territory was expanded with a part of the province of

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 ...

and the former territory of

Ravenstein Ravenstein may refer to: Places * Ravenstein, Germany in the district Neckar-Odenwald, Baden-Württemberg * Ravenstein, Netherlands in Oss, North Brabant * Ravenstein railway station Films Ravenstein a 2020 British Horror film People with the ...

, which had previously belonged to the Duchy of Cleves, as well as several small, formerly autonomous entities. In World War II the area was liberated by the allies during Operation Pheasant between October 20 to November 4, 1944. The period from 1900 until the late 1960s is called ''Het Rijke Roomse Leven'' (translated as 'the rich Roman life', with 'Roman' meaning 'Roman Catholic'), an era of strong religious belief. ''Het Rijke Roomse Leven'' came about as result of the emancipatory drive of the province's disadvantaged Catholic population and was supported by a Roman Catholic pillar, which was directed by the clergy, and not only encompassed churches, but also Roman Catholic schools and hospitals, which were run by nuns and friars. In those days every village in North Brabant had a convent from which the nuns operated. Politically, the province was dominated by Catholic parties: the Roman Catholic State Party and its post- war successor, the Catholic People's Party, which often held around 75% of the vote. Zundert welkom in Brabant

In the 1960s secularisation and the actual emancipation of the Catholic population brought about the gradual dissolution of the Catholic pillar, as church attendance decreased in North Brabant as elsewhere in Western Europe. The influence of ''Het Rijke Roomse Leven'' (The Rich Roman atholicLife) remains in the form of education where some schools are still Roman Catholic (today run by professional teachers and not by nuns) and in North Brabant's culture, politics, mentality and

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

, such as

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

. The interpretation of the Roman Catholic identity in North Brabant has shifted during the last 65 years from religious to

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, but the province still has a distinct Catholic atmosphere when compared to the provinces north of the major rivers. A cultural divide is still found between the "Catholic" south and the "Protestant" north, but with a total of 1.5 million people and 20% of the industrial production in the Netherlands the southern "Catholic" area BrabantStad has become one of the major economically important, metropolitan regions of the Netherlands. As of 2010, Catholics were no longer a majority of the population in the province of North Brabant. Only 1–2% of the total population of the Catholic area attend

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, and these churchgoers consist mostly of people over 65 years old.

Geography

With a population density of 501/km², North Brabant is above average urbanized. The urbanization is at the center of the province at largest, where the 'kite' (the Brabantse Stedenrij Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven and 's-Hertogenbosch) is located, the rest of the province has a more rural character. The province has preserved some of its scenic nature well. National parks are found at the Loonse and Drunen Dunes, De Biesbosch and De De Groote Peel, on the marshes of the Meierij at Oisterwijk and Boxtel (within an area called Het Groene Woud), the border park Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide, and in the forested area around

. Also, south of

named De Kempen is an area with farmlands and forests. In Heeze, also south of Eindhoven, are the heath areas the ''Groote Heide'' (333 ha) and Strabrechtse Heath (1500 ha) located. The ''Strabrechtse Heide'' holds also the largest fen of the Netherlands. The ''Beuven'' (Beu fen) measures 85 hectares. Like most of the Netherlands, North Brabant is mostly flat but nearly every part of North Brabant is above sea level; therefore, there are not as many canals as in the lower parts of The Netherlands. Although most of the population lives in urban areas, the province is scattered with villages around which most of the land is cultivated. National Parks in North Brabant are: * De Biesbosch; National Park; North Brabant /

; 7.100 ha; 1994 * De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide; Cross-Border Park; North Brabant /

(Belgium); 3.750 ha; 2001 * De Loonse en Drunense Duinen; National Park; North Brabant; 3.400 ha; 2002 * De Grote Peel; National Park; North Brabant / Limburg; 1.340 ha; 1993

De Biesbosch

The Biesbosch (from ''bies'', "rushes", and ''bosch'', "woodland") is an area southeast of

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 ...

formed when the dike on the

burst and the St. Elizabeth's floods on 19 November 1421 engulfed great tracts of land in the southwestern Netherlands and altered the geography of the whole area, inundating over 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of land. More than four-fifths of the flooded land has been reclaimed since the 18th century. An area of 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) was left as it was, and now forms the Biesbosch nature reserve and bird sanctuary. Until the end of the 1960s the Biesbosch was directly connected with the sea and subject to changing tide levels. As a result, it developed a flora which tolerated brackish water and was the home of numerous waterfowl. Since the damming of the Haringvliet there is no variation in water level, and both flora and fauna have adapted to the new environment. The Biesbosch is crisscrossed by a network of footpaths and bike paths and by rivers and streams which offer facilities for water sports (sailing, surfing). In spite of the large numbers of visitors the natural environment has remained largely unspoiled. The Biesbosch nature reserve can be reached by car only from the east (preferably via Werkendam). The southwest part of the area, with its three large reservoirs of drinking water, is closed to road traffic. The Biesbosch can also be reached by boat from Drimmelen, Geertruidenberg or

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 ...

De Kempen

The historical region of Kempen occupies the southern part of the province of Noord-Brabant and extends south of Eindhoven far into northern

. To the east it reaches as far as the

valley. The surface topography of De Kempen is very uniform. Most of it lies between 5 m (15 ft) and 35 m (115 ft) above sea level. The basement rocks are Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, which are overlaid by

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

gravels and sands carried here by rivers of melt-water from the retreating glaciers. It is a typical area of sandy heathland. The infertile soil is suitable only for undemanding crops such as rye, oats, potatoes and fodder plants; this limits the profitability of agriculture. Until a few decades ago Kempen was a region of heathland and sand drifts with a sparse growth of pines, a few scattered villages subsisting on the poor soil and some small towns; and this is still the pattern in much of the region. In recent years, however, the rapid advance of industry has brought about profound changes in this agricultural region. The origins of this industrial development go back 70–100 years. The main concentrations of industry are along the southern frontier of the Netherlands, e.g., at

, Helmond,

De Peel

In the east of Noord-Brabant, near the Limburgish border, is the Peel area, an expanse of

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

extending from Eindhoven to

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

, on the border with Limburg. Southeast of Asten is a nature reserve (1,300 hectares (3,250 acres); visitor center at Ospeldijk) which has escaped destruction by peat cutting. Mostly boggy, it will appeal to nature lovers with its interesting flora and fauna. Apart from this small area almost the whole of the Peel has been brought into cultivation.

Rivers and deltas

The province is bordered by the river

in the north. Its delta flows through De Biesbosch area, a national park.

Municipalities

North Brabant has been divided into 56 municipalities since 2022. Traditionally, almost every town was a separate municipality, but their number was reduced greatly in the 1990s by incorporating smaller towns into neighbouring cities or by other mergers. The municipalities in North Brabant are: *West North Brabant COROP group **

** Drimmelen **

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 ...

** Geertruidenberg ** Halderberge ** Moerdijk **

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 ...

** Roosendaal ** Rucphen ** Steenbergen ** Woensdrecht **

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 ...

*Mid North Brabant COROP group ** Alphen-Chaam ** Altena ** Baarle-Nassau ** Dongen **

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 ...

** Goirle ** Hilvarenbeek ** Loon op Zand ** Oisterwijk **

** Waalwijk *North East North Brabant COROP group ** Bernheze ** Boekel ** Boxtel **

Heusden Heusden () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the south of the Netherlands. It is located between the towns of Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch. The municipality of Heusden, including Herpt, Heesbeen, Hedikhuizen, Do ...

** Land van Cuijk ** Maashorst **

Meierijstad Meierijstad () is a municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant. The municipality is the result of a merger between the municipalities Schijndel, Sint-Oedenrode and Veghel in 2017. After the merger it became North Brabant's largest municip ...

** Oss ** Sint-Michielsgestel ** Vught *South East Brabant COROP group ** Asten ** Bergeijk ** Best ** Bladel ** Cranendonck ** Deurne ** Eersel **

** Geldrop-Mierlo ** Gemert-Bakel **

Heeze-Leende Heeze-Leende () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern Netherlands, near Eindhoven, North Brabant. It is known for Heeze Castle (''Kasteel Heeze''). The spoken language is "Heeze-en-Leendes", a distinct dialect within ...

** Helmond ** Laarbeek ** Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten ** Oirschot ** Reusel-De Mierden ** Someren **

Son en Breugel Son en Breugel () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern Netherlands just outside Eindhoven. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . Son en Breugel used to be two different ...

** Valkenswaard ** Veldhoven ** Waalre NB-COROPs

Municipal reclassifications

The following municipal reclassifications took place in the 21st century: On 1 January 2003 the municipality of

merged into the existing municipality of Oss.
On 1 January 2004 the municipalities of Geldrop and Mierlo merged into a new municipality called Geldrop-Mierlo.
On 1 January 2011 the municipality of Lith merged into the existing municipality of Oss.
On 1 January 2015 the municipality of Maasdonk merged into the existing municipalities of

and Oss.
On 1 January 2017 the municipalities of Veghel, Schijndel, and Sint-Oedenrode merged into a new municipality called

, creating the largest municipality of the province of North Brabant in terms of land area.
On 1 January 2019 the municipalities of Aalburg, Werkendam, and Woudrichem merged into a new municipality called Altena, an even larger municipality in terms of land area.
On 1 January 2021 the municipality of Haaren merged into the existing municipalities of Boxtel, Oisterwijk,

, and Vught.
On 1 January 2022 the municipalities of Landerd and Uden merged into the new municipality of Maashorst, and the municipalities of Boxmeer, Cuijk,

Grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

, Mill en Sint Hubert, and

Sint Anthonis Sint Anthonis () is a village and former municipality in the southern Netherlands in the Province of North Brabant. The locals refer to the town as ''Sint Tunnis''. An inhabitant is called a "Sintunnisenaar". The former municipality had a populati ...

merged into the new municipality of Land van Cuijk.

Economy

The

Gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

(GDP) of the province was 116.1 billion € in 2018, accounting for 15.0% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €39,900 or 132% of the EU27 average in the same year. Employment is found in the

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

, industrial and service sectors, with agricultural and food processing companies such as Agrifirm,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, FrieslandCampina, Mars Incorporated, Nutreco, Royal Canin all having large production sites or their headquarters located in the province. The main agricultural products are sweetcorn,

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

, while cows and pigs are held as livestock. An important economical activity is electronics industry, which developed as a spin-off from

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

. Several companies originated from Philips, such as Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), NXP (producer of semiconductors), and the world's largest supplier of

photolithography Photolithography (also known as optical lithography) is a process used in the manufacturing of integrated circuits. It involves using light to transfer a pattern onto a substrate, typically a silicon wafer. The process begins with a photosensiti ...

systems, ASML. There are eight 'innovation campusses' in North Brabant, including the High Tech Campus Eindhoven and BrainPort, which comprises more than 5000 tech and IT companies. In 2017, Brabantian companies applied for 3655

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

, earning a spot in the regional top five in Europe. The chip company Axelera AI is also headquartered in Eindhoven. Other important industries are automobile production (e.g.

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 ...

, Tesla in

) and DAF in

, textile and shoes. In the 20th century,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

has become an important sector for North Brabant. A tourist attraction is theme park Efteling in Kaatsheuvel, the largest of the Benelux. Safaripark Beekse Bergen is an Safaripark located between

and Hilvarenbeek. In terms of area, it is the largest Safaripark in the Benelux. More than 150 animal species are kept, ranging from small mammals to large birds. It is best known for its diversity. You can explore the park on foot, by boat, bus or with your own car. BrabantStad is a partnership between the municipalities of

, Helmond,

and

and the province of North Brabant. According to national rules, BrabantStad is defined as the area of Eindhoven, 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg.

Language

Brabantian is not a minority language in the

. It can be divided in two main dialects: East Brabantian and . Along with the Hollandic dialects it is one of the two most spoken versions of Dutch. Brabantian has, as compared to the other main Dutch dialects, had a big influence on the development of Standard Dutch. This is because Brabant was the dominant region in the Netherlands when the standardization of Dutch started in the 16th century. The first major formation of standard Dutch also took place in

, where a Brabantian dialect is spoken. The default language having been developed around this time, it therefore had mainly Brabantian influences. The early modern Dutch written language was initially influenced primarily by Brabantian, with strong influence from Hollandic emerging after the 16th century. Since the Brabantian dialect has developed faster than 16th- and 17th-century Dutch, it has become more diverse than modern Standard Dutch but is still quite similar and very understandable. About one third of the Dutch-speaking population lives in the Brabantian dialect zone. Both in Brabantian cities such as

and

and in rural areas many people still speak the original dialect or colloquial Dutch with a typical "southern" tongue.

and

have a large number of people speaking the Brabantian dialect.

Culture

There are many museums, especially in the larger cities which include the North Brabant Museum in

, the Van Abbemuseum in

, the Museum of the Image in

, Noordbrabants Natuurmuseum in

. Also a few towns have a large theater like the Chassé Theater in Breda and the Eindhoven Park Theatre. Large, reputable music venues like the 013 in

, which boasts the largest space of music venues in the

, and the Effenaar in Eindhoven offer concerts by major artists. Smaller venues like Mezz

, W2 Concert in

and the smaller halls of the 013 and the Effenaar offer concerts by emerging artists and bigger names in an intimate setting.

Events

Some yearly cultural events in North Brabant are: * Carnaval, ''(February)'' * Koningsdag, national day ''(27 April)'' * Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven,

international school International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...

festival ''(October)'' * GLOW Festival Eindhoven in Eindhoven, ''(November)'' * STRP Festival, art & technology festival in Eindhoven ''(March)'' *Breda Jazz Festival in Breda ''(May / June)'' * Redhead Day (Roodharigendag) in Breda ''(first weekend of September)'' * Incubate in Tilburg ''(September)'' *

Roadburn Festival The Roadburn Festival is an annual music festival held each April in Tilburg, Netherlands. It was founded by Walter Hoeijmakers and Jurgen van den Brand in 1999, who ran a stoner rock blog of the same name. The festival has been held at Tilburg ...

in Tilburg ''(April)'' * Tilburgse Kermis in Tilburg since 1567 ''(July)'' * Equestrian event Indoor Brabant, (Dressage and Show jumping) in

''(March)'' * International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch ''(September)'' *Jazz in Duketown in

''(June)'' *Art & Antiques Fair

''(April)'' *Erasmusfestival (Even years) in

''(Fall)'' *Jazz in Catstown in Helmond ''(June)'' *Kasteeltuinconcerten (Castle Garden Concerts) in Helmond ''(July, August)'' *Extrema Outdoor in Best ''(July)'' *Paaspop in Schijndel ''(April)'' *Mosh meeting in Roosendaal ''(March)'' *Monsters of Mariaheide in Veghel ''(February)''

Museums

List of museums in North Brabant Museums of the main cities: Noordbrabants Museum DSCF2390

;'s-Hertogenbosch * Museum Quarter ** Noordbrabants Museum (History and art) ** Design Museum Den Bosch * Southern waterline locations ** Kruithuis (Fortress Museum) ** Bastionder (information center fortifications) ** Bolwerk St. Jan (information center Stronghold and Citygate) ** Fort Orthen, Fort Isabella and the Citadel (Historic Fortresses) ** Maurick Castle * Zwanenbroedershuis (Historical Brotherhood Museum) * Huize de Loet (Brabantian Mansion Museum) * Sint-Jansmuseum (Historical and Architectural Museum) * Het Oeteldonks Gemintemuzejum ( carnaval museum) * Jheronimus Bosch Art Center * Museum Slager (Museum in honor of the Artist Family) * Museum Hertogsgemaal (Archaeological and Paleontological Museum) * Museum Gemaal Caners (Watermanagement Museum) * Herzogenbusch/ Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught WW-II

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

(actually in Vught) * Geniemuseum (actually in Vught) * Vughts Museum (actually in Vught) ;Eindhoven *There are two museums dedicated to the major topics of the city's industrial heritage: the DAF Museum has a collection of DAF cars, trucks and buses, and the

Museum documents the company history of electronics giant Philips and incorporates a 1891 lightbulb workshop. *The Designhuis, a public podium and interaction area for modern design and innovation in the former district court house. *The Eindhoven Museum, an archaeological open-air museum which focuses on the region's

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

and

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. It merged in 2011 with Museum Kempenland which was a regional museum, which documents the history of the Kempenland region in objects, documents, paint and educational activities. Museum Kempenland's old location, the Steentjeskerk, is closed. * Inkijkmuseum ("Look-In museum"; housed in an old

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

factory in the Dommelstraat) is a small but special museum: it offers ever-changing exhibits, which are to be viewed through the building's windows. *The Van Abbemuseum has a collection of modern and

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

, including works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondriaan, and

Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

. *Wings of Liberation Museum / Bevrijdende Vleugels documents the liberation of the southern Netherlands ;Breda * Stedelijk Museum Breda, resulting from a 2017 merger of the Breda's Museum and the MOTI (Museum of the Image) * Begijnhof Breda Museum * General Maczek Museum * Beer Commercial Museum * NAC Museum (football) * Local History Museum / Heemkunde Museum Paulus van Daesdonck * Museum Oorlog & Vrede (War and Peace Museum) * Stichting Princenhaags Museum ;Tilburg * Museum of Modern Art – De Pont Foundation * Nature museum Brabant * Textile Museum * Museum of Charity * Museum brewery de Roos Hilvarenbeek * Museum the Town doctor Hilvarenbeek * Liquor and soda museum Hilvarenbeek * Boekorgelmuseum Hilvarenbeek * Agricultural museum Hilvarenbeek

Cuisine

The Southern Dutch cuisine constitutes the cuisine of the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the

Flemish Region The Flemish Region (, ), usually simply referred to as Flanders ( ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—alongside the Wallonia, Walloon Region and the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region. ...

. It is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups,

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in Soup, liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for ...

s, and vegetable dishes and is often called " Burgundian", which is a Dutch idiom invoking the rich Burgundian court which ruled 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 ...

in the

and was renowned for its splendor and great feasts. It is the only Dutch culinary region which developed an ''

haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is a style of cooking characterised by meticulous preparation, elaborate presentation, and the use of high quality ingredients. Typically prepared by highly skilled gourmet chefs, haute cuisine dish ...

'', as it is influenced by both German cuisine and

French cuisine French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices of France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a Court (royal), court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote ''Le Viandier'', one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In ...

, and it forms the base of most traditional Dutch restaurants including typical

main course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...

s such as '' Biefstuk'', '' Varkenshaas'', or '' Ossenhaas'', which are premium cuts of meat, generally

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

, accompanied by various sauces and potatoes which have been double fried in the traditional Dutch (or Belgian) manner. Stews, such as '' hachee'', a stew of

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

and a thick gravy, contain a lot of flavour and require hours to prepare. Vegetable soups are made from richly flavored

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

or bouillon and typically contain small meatballs alongside a variety of different vegetables. Asparagus and '' witlo(o)f'' are highly prized and traditionally eaten with cheese and/or ham. Pastries are abundant, often with rich fillings of cream, custard or fruits. Cakes, such as the '' Moorkop'' and '' Bossche Bol'' from Brabant, are typical pastries. There are also savory pastries, especially the popular ''worstenbroodje'' (a roll with a sausage of ground beef). The traditional alcoholic beverage of the region is beer. There are many local brands, ranging from ''

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...

'' to '' Kriek''. Beer, like wine in French cuisine, is also used in cooking, often in stews.

Sports

Association football

North Brabant is home to 8

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs, more than any other province in the Netherlands. Four clubs ( PSV, NAC, Willem II and RKC Waalwijk) play 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 ...

, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands. Four clubs ( Helmond Sport, ], FC Den Bosch, FC Eindhoven and TOP Oss) play in the Eerste Divisie, the second-highest division of professional football in the Netherlands. PSV Eindhoven is the biggest club of North Brabant, and most successful with 25 Eredivisie titles, 1 European Cup and 1

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, among many other domestic cups, and is one of the traditional " big three" clubs in the Netherlands.

Hockey

North Brabant is home to 3 hockey clubs that play in the Hoofdklasse. HC Den Bosch ('s-Hertogenbosch), Oranje Zwart (Eindhoven) and MOP (Vught). Oranje Zwart is the most successful of these clubs with many prizes, in the regular competition as well as in Europe. The most recent prizes are National Champions in 2014–2015, 2015–2016 and European Champions in 2014–2015. In 2016, Oranje Zwart merged with the smaller EMHC into Oranje-Rood. Since then, mens team has always played in the highest league.

Politics

The States of North Brabant (''Staten van Noord-Brabant'') have 55 seats and are headed by the

King's Commissioner A King's commissioner (, ''CvdK'') is the head of government and legislature in a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands. When the List of monarchs of the Netherlands, reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Queen's commission ...

(''Commissaris van de Koning''), currently Ina Adema. Whereas the provincial council (the

States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States-Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...

- ''Provinciale Staten'') is elected by the inhabitants, the Commissioner is appointed by the King and the cabinet of the Netherlands. With 10 seats,

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...

is the largest party in the council, closely followed by Christian Democratic Appeal and Socialist Party, both with 9 seats. The daily affairs of the province are taken care of by the Provincial-Executive (''Gedeputeerde Staten''), which are also headed by the Commissioner; its members (commissioners - ''gedeputeerden'') can be compared with ministers.

States-Provincial

Results in North Brabant in the elections for the

: * See also: States of North Brabant'' (more information)

Religion

Traditionally the province of North Brabant has been strongly

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, in contrast to most of the rest of the Netherlands. Following the country's independence, Catholics faced discrimination by the Protestant government until the mid-19th century. During the 1960s the relatively strong demarcation between the Catholic south on one side and the

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

west and north on the other side of the Netherlands started to diminish. In the second half of the 20th century a rapid secularization took place in North Brabant. In 2015 slightly fewer than half (48%) of the Brabantian people reported adhering to Catholicism, while 5.6% adhered to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, 4.4% to

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 ...

, 3.3% to other churches or faiths. More than a third (38.8%) of the population identified as non-religious. Although much of the population identifies as Catholic, regular attendance at

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

is low. For example, in the Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch, the eastern part of North Brabant and part of the province of Gelderland, 1,167,000 people reported in 2006 an association with Roman Catholicism (56.8 percent of the population). However, only 45,645 residents of this area attended the

on average, which was only 2 percent of the total population of the area. In western North Brabant ( Diocese of Breda) the number of people associating themselves with Catholicism also strongly decreased; only 52 percent of the West Brabantians identify as Roman Catholic. Church attendance was even lower in the west, with only 1 percent of the West Brabantian population attending Mass. North Brabant is mostly Catholic by tradition. Residents may adhere to certain traditions as a base for their

cultural identity Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity (social science), identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, Locality (settlement), locality, gender, o ...

, but the vast majority of the Catholic population is now largely irreligious in practice. Research among Catholics in the Netherlands in 2007 showed that only 27% of the Dutch Catholics could be regarded as theist, while 55% were ietsist or nontheist and 17% were agnostic.''God in Nederland'' (1996–2006), by Ronald Meester, G. Dekker,

References

External links

* * *
BOM Foreign Investments - Background information economy BrabantDeltaworks Online - Flood protection of North Brabant and Deltaregion
{{coord, 51, 40, N, 5, 00, E, region:NL_type:adm1st, display=title Brabant Provinces of the Netherlands NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union