Helmond (; called ''Héllemond'' in the local dialect) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

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

in the

Metropoolregio Eindhoven The ''Metropoolregio Eindhoven'' (MRE; en, Eindhoven Metropolitan Region, italics=no), until 1 January 2014 the ''Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven'' (SRE; en, Cooperative union for the Region of Eindhoven, italics=no), is a regional governme ...

of the

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

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called 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 w ...

in the Southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Helmond is home to several textile and metal companies. The Vlisco factory is located next to the

Zuid-Willemsvaart The Zuid-Willemsvaart (; translated: ''South William's Canal'') is a canal in the south of the Netherlands and the east of Belgium. Route The Zuid-Willemsvaart is a canal in the provinces Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg (Belgium) and North Br ...

canal, which runs through the city. The spoken language is Helmonds (an

East Brabantian East Brabantian ( nl, Oost Noord-Brabants or Oost Brabants) is one of the main divisions of the Brabantian dialect group recognized by the ''Woordenboek van de Brabantse dialecten''. East Brabantian dialects are mainly spoken in the eastern part o ...

dialect).

History

Etymology and Coat of Arms

Helmond's coat of arms, first appearing in 1241, displays a helmet, and is a canting arms for the city's name, as ''helm'' means helmet in Dutch. However, the actual etymology of Helmond's name is probably derived from the combination of ''Hel'', which means "low-lying" (from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...

''*haljæ'' / ''Hel''), and ''Mond'', which referred to higher ground or a secure place. The helmet on the coat of arms originally was depicted as a medieval

great helm The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, is a helmet of the High Middle Ages which arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the Crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. The barreled ...

, however, the design eventually came to depict a jousting helmet. The oak sprigs symbolize freedom, while the bird perched on them is thought to be purely decorative. Helmond-plaats-OpenTopo

Medieval and Early Modern Periods

During the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

period, the site of what is now Helmond was an only partially habitable convergence of streams. As the streams began to silt over, settlement was made possible, and by the year 1000, a settlement arose west of what is the current city center. Additionally, a precursor to the current

Helmond Castle Helmond Castle is a square medieval moated castle in the center of the city Helmond in the Dutch province of North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of ...

, named '''t Oude Huys'' ("the old house"), was built around this time. Documents from 1108 mention Lord Hazelo von Helmond, the first feudal lord of the

allodium In the law of the Middle Ages and early Modern Period and especially within the Holy Roman Empire, an allod ( Old Low Franconian ''allōd'' ‘fully owned estate’, from ''all'' ‘full, entire’ and ''ōd'' ‘estate’, Medieval Latin ''allodiu ...

of Helmond. In 1179, a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

of Pope Alexander III mentions Helmond being donated to the Abbey of Floreffe. At this point, the local feudal administration was probably moved to t' Oude Huys. In 1220, Helmond came under the control of

Henry I of Brabant Henry I ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; c. 1165 – 5 September 1235), named "The Courageous", was a member of the House of Reginar and first duke of Brabant from 1183/84 until his death. Early life Henry was possibly born in Leuven (Louvai ...

. In 1225, the town was founded by Henry, it received its

Town Privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1232. Following his death in 1235, it was passed down to his daughter,

Maria of Brabant, Holy Roman Empress Maria of Brabant (c. 1190 – May/June 1260), a member of the House of Reginar, was Holy Roman Empress from 1214 until 1215 as the second and last wife of the Welf emperor Otto IV. Family Maria was the eldest daughter of Duke Henry I of Braba ...

, who spent much time at t' Oude Huys and whose founding of Binderen Abbey benefited the growth of the city. Upon her death in 1260, the town passed back to the Dukes of Brabant, who, in 1315, leased it to the van Berlaer family. In 1325, Jan II Berthout van Berlaer started the construction of a stone keep on the site of the current Helmond Castle, supplanting t' Oude Huys. By 1400, the city ramparts were built. Having gained market rights in 1376, Helmond's textile industry began to develop, and in 1389, seven guilds were authorized to operate in the town. Merchants from Helmond sold wool and textiles throughout Brabant. Despite the commercial growth, the town's population remained small. Helmond's prosperity soon ended due to war and instability in the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

, and following

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

's ascension to the Duchy of Brabant, Helmond was put under siege and sacked by the army of

Maarten van Rossum Maarten van Rossum (c. 1478 – June 7, 1555) was a military tactician of the duchy of Guelders who became field marshal in the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders. He was greatly feared outside his home country for the ruthless manner in ...

in 1543.

Under the Dutch Republic and the Revolutionary era

Helmond was also embroiled in the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.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 Ref ...

. Since it remained loyal to Phillip II of Spain, the army of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

twice captured and lost the city, with only the castle remaining uncaptured. The effects of the war and a plague outbreak in 1636 decimated the textile industry in Helmond, and many weavers fled to Haarlem. Only with the peace of 1648 could the city start to recover. The weavers of Helmond gained a fruitful partnership with merchants in Haarlem, and the city could rebuild from the war. Catholics were pushed underground. Although the city recovered its prosperity, it was once again plunged into instability during the ''

Patriottentijd The (; ) was a period of political instability in the Dutch Republic between approximately 1780 and 1787. Its name derives from the Patriots () faction who opposed the rule of the stadtholder, William V, Prince of Orange, and his supporters who ...

'' of the late 18th century. Following several skirmishes and political maneuvers in the city, the Patriots were crushed through the intervention of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

in 1787, but only five years later in 1793, the French Republic invaded. The liberal French administration allowed the Patriots to re-assert themselves in the city, and in 1795, universal male suffrage came to Helmond. By 1798, the vestiges of the Dutch Republic were abolished, and Catholics were once again allowed to take part in city governance.

19th and 20th centuries

By the late 18th and early 19th century, local entrepreneurs also started to grow the textile business unassisted by the Haarlem merchants, facilitating industrial production. It became a city with a seat in the Estates of Brabant in 1814. The 1826 opening of the

canal, which runs through the city, brought more prosperity to the city. In addition to the weaving mills and the associated yarn dyeing and bleaching plants, other branches of the textile industry also developed, such as cotton printing. The introduction of steam power and construction of a railway station in 1866 greatly accelerated the development of Helmond, and its population greatly increased. By the early 20th century, industry in Helmond started to branch out from textiles: metal products, such as machines and wires, were produced in the city, along with a cocoa factory, a margarine factory, and the grocery chain EDAH. In 1940, Helmond was captured by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, and its city administration was taken over by NSB collaborators. The city was liberated by the British Army on 24 and 25 September 1944. After the war, industry once again flourished, with new companies establishing themselves in the city while old industries continued. Pursuing a modern image, prominent projects such as the Cube Houses were built. Helmond gained its 80,000th resident in 1999, and continues to grow.

Geography

Helmond is subdivided into quarters and neighbourhoods: *Quarter 11

Inner City The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...

**Neighbourhood 0 Centrum **Neighbourhood 2 Leonardus **Neighbourhood 3 Heipoort **Neighbourhood 4 Stationsgebied **Neighbourhood 5 Vossenberg **Neighbourhood 6 Annabuurt en Suytkade **Neighbourhood 7 Steenweg en omgeving *Quarter 11 Helmond-East **Neighbourhood 0 Beisterveld **Neighbourhood 1 Beisterveldse Broek **Neighbourhood 2 Straakven *Quarter 12 Helmond-North **Neighbourhood 0 Bloemvelden **Neighbourhood 1 Binderen **Neighbourhood 2 Eeuwsels *Quarter 13

Mierlo-Hout Helmond (; called ''Héllemond'' in the local dialect) is a city and municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant in the Southern Netherlands. Helmond is home to several textile and metal companies. The Vlisco f ...

**Neighbourhood 0 't Hout-Centrum **Neighbourhood 1 Kroon **Neighbourhood 2 Akkers **Neighbourhood 3 Gansenwinkel **Neighbourhood 9 Groot Goor *Quarter 14 Brouwhuis **Neighbourhood 0 Brouwhuis-Dorp **Neighbourhood 1 Brouwhuis-West **Neighbourhood 2 Brouwhuis-Oost **Neighbourhood 4 Brouwhorst **Neighbourhood 9 Kloostereind *Quarter 15 Helmond-West **Neighbourhood 0 West **Neighbourhood 1 Houtsdonk *Quarter 16 Warande **Neighbourhood 0 Oranjebuurt **Neighbourhood 1 Zwanenbeemd **Neighbourhood 9 Overbrug *Quarter 17 Stiphout **Neighbourhood 0 Stiphout-Dorp **Neighbourhood 1 Schooten **Neighbourhood 9 Geeneind *Quarter 18 Rijpelberg **Neighbourhood 1 Rijpelberg-Oost **Neighbourhood 2 Rijpelberg-West **Neighbourhood 9 Berkendonk *Quarter 19 Dierdonk **Neighbourhood 0 Kern Dierdonk **Neighbourhood 9 Scheepstal *Quarter 21

Brandevoort Brandevoort is a neighbourhood of Helmond in the Netherlands, located in the south-west of the municipality, just north of Mierlo. It is a Vinex-location and was built according to the principles of New Urbanism and New Classical architecture. As ...

**Neighbourhood 1 De Veste **Neighbourhood 2 Schutsboom **Neighbourhood 3 Stepekolk **Neighbourhood 4 Berenbroek *Quarter 29

Industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

-South **Neighbourhood 1 Hoogeind **Neighbourhood 2 B.Z.O.B.

Transport

Railway stations: Helmond, Helmond Brouwhuis, Helmond Brandevoort, Helmond 't Hout

Local media

Newspapers: * ED - Helmond Plus * ZondagNieuws ''(translated: SundayNews)'' * De Traverse * De Loop Radio: * Omroep Helmond (Radio) ''(translated: Helmond Broadcasting (Radio))'' * Internetradio Helmond Sport Television: * Omroep Helmond (TV) ''(translated: Helmond Broadcasting (TV))'' News on the internet:
Alles Over Helmond
(part of Omroep Helmond) ''(translated: Everything About Helmond)''
De Weblog van Helmond
''(translated: Helmonds´ weblog)''

Politics

Municipal council

The

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

consists of 37 seats. Below the council since 1998: *The political parties SDH-OH, Helmondse Belangen, and D66 form 1

parliamentary group A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council. Parliamenta ...

in the council, but took part in the elections separately. In the elections they received 4, 2 and 2 seats respectively. *The party 50Plus was known as senioren until the elections of 2018

Notable residents

Lucas Gassel Lucas Gassel or Lucas van Gassel ( Deurne, Netherlands, c. 1485 – Brussels, 1568 or 1569)Lucas Gassel
at the

(ca.1490-ca.1570) Flemish Renaissance painter of landscapes * Anthonius Konings (1821-1884) a

Redemptorist The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

professor and theological writer Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 8 (1913), Anthony Konings
retrieved 24 February 2020 *

Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude (1 February 1853 – 29 May 1937) was a Dutch zoologist and herpetologist. He is not to be confused with his grandfather's brother, the Dutch veterinarian and zoologist Theodoor Gerard van Lidth de Jeude (1788–1 ...

(1853–1937) a Dutch zoologist and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Matthijs Vermeulen Matthijs Vermeulen (born Matheas Christianus Franciscus van der Meulen) (8 February 1888 – 26 July 1967), was a Dutch composer and music journalist. Early life Matthijs Vermeulen was born in Helmond. After primary school he initially wante ...

(1888–1967) a Dutch composer and music journalist * Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven (1893-1961) a Dutch psychiatrist and

anthroposophist Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

* Franz Jozef Van Beeck (1930-2011) a Dutch priest, author and Christian theologian *

Elly Blanksma-van den Heuvel Petronella Johanna Maria Godefrida Blanksma-van den Heuvel (born 24 September 1959, Helmond), known as Elly Blanksma-van den Heuvel, is a Dutch politician and former banking manager. As a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democ ...

(born 1959), politician and former bank manager, Mayor of Helmond since 2012 * Harry van Bommel (born 1962) a politician, anti-globalisation activist and former educator * Diana van Berlo (born 1966), former member of disco/pop girl group

Luv' Luv' were a Dutch girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe (Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland) as well as Israel, South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada ...

* Stochelo Rosenberg (born 1968) a Gypsy jazz guitarist who leads the

Rosenberg Trio The Rosenberg Trio is a Dutch jazz band consisting of lead guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg, rhythm guitarist Nous'che Rosenberg and bassist Nonnie Rosenberg. The band is influenced by Django Reinhardt, the gypsy jazz guitarist of the 1930s. The ...

* M. H. Benders (born 1971) a Dutch poet and philosopher

Sport

Willy van der Kuijlen Wilhelmus Martinus Leonardus Johannes "Willy" van der Kuijlen (; 6 December 1946 – 19 April 2021) was a Dutch football player and a scout for PSV Eindhoven. Van der Kuijlen was born in Helmond and started his youth career at local club HVV. I ...

(1946–2021) Dutch football player with 545 club caps *

Lisette Sevens Elisabeth "Lisette" Anthonius Maria Ignatius Sevens (born 29 June 1949) is a retired Dutch field hockey defender, who won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. From 1974 to 1984, she played a total number of 125 international matches for ...

(born 1949) field hockey player, team gold medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

René René ('' born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the femin ...

and

Willy van de Kerkhof Wilhelmus Antonius "Willy" van de Kerkhof (; born 16 September 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Van de Kerkhof and his twin brother René were squad members of the Dutch national team that made the W ...

(born 1951), twins, former footballers with 491 & 511 club caps * Fieke Boekhorst (born 1957) field hockey player, team gold medallist at the

* Berry van Aerle (born 1962) a Dutch retired footballer with 315 club caps *

Hans Gillhaus Johannes "Hans" Paulus Gillhaus (born 5 November 1963) is a Dutch retired professional footballer who played primarily as a left-sided forward. During a 16-year professional career, he amassed Eredivisie totals of 348 games and 146 goals, main ...

(born 1963) a Dutch retired footballer with 400 club caps * Pieter Gruijters (born 1967) is a Paralympic athlete, *

Wilfred Bouma Wilfred Bouma (; born 15 June 1978) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played most notably for PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa and the Netherlands national team. Club career Early career Born in Helmond, North Brabant, Bouma started his ...

(born 1978) a Dutch former footballer with 411 club caps *

Nieky Holzken Nicolaas Hubertus Holzken (born December 16, 1983) is a Dutch super middleweight kickboxer and professional boxer currently signed to ONE Championship, where he competes in the Lightweight division. He is the former Glory Welterweight Champion. ...

(born 1983) a Dutch super middleweight kickboxer and professional boxer *

Bob de Voogd Bob de Voogd (; born 16 September 1988) is a Dutch field hockey player who plays as a midfielder or forward for Belgian club Braxgata. He was included to the national team in 2009 and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, placing fourth in ...

(born 1988) a Dutch field hockey player, team silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Twin towns — sister cities

Helmond is twinned with:

Gallery

File:20140723 Bridge over Zuid-Willemsvaart in Helmond.jpg, Bridge over Zuid-Willemsvaart in Helmond File:Berkendonkbijdrukte.jpg, Berkendonkbijdrukte File:Monumentale loskraan Slits Helmond Kanaalduik zuid 2014 - panoramio.jpg, Monumentale loskraan Slits Helmond Kanaalduik zuid File:Helmond Der Tanz Dasha Stransky.jpg, Helmond Der Tanz Dasha Stransky File:Helmondlambertuskerk.jpg, St. Lambert's Church File:Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Helmond) P1060805.JPG, Church of Our Lady

References

External links

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