Helmond (; called ''Hèllemond'' in the local dialect) 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

Metropoolregio Eindhoven The ''Metropoolregio Eindhoven'' (MRE; ), until 1 January 2014 the ''Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven'' (SRE; ), is a regional governmental agency for the city region of Eindhoven, Netherlands. The MRE comprises 21 municipalities in the Eindho ...

of 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 ...

in the Southern

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 ...

. 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 B ...

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

East Brabantian East Brabantian ( or ) 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 of the province of North Brabant. Clas ...

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 linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...

''*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.

Medieval and early modern periods

During the

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

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. History Construction of the current castle started around 1325. This served to replace an older castle (known as 't O ...

, 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 Allod, deriving from Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was, in medieval and ...

of Helmond. In 1179, a

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

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

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. 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 (; ; ) 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 present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

, and following

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * 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 Others * Charles V, Duke ...

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

Maarten van Rossum Maarten van Rossum ( 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 wh ...

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 (; 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, exce ...

. Since it remained loyal to

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

, the army 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 ...

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 Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

. 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: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

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 German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, 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. The new quarter Brandevoort (built 1993 to 2017) is quite remarkable for its cohesive

New Urbanism New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating Walkability, walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has ...

principles and the architecture adapting to the traditional local style of Brabant.

Geography

Helmond is subdivided into quarters and neighbourhoods: *Quarter 11

Inner City The term inner city (also called the hood) 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. Soc ...

**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 **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 Stiphout is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Helmond, about 2km west of the centre of that city. The village is mentioned for the first time in 1155 as 'Villa Stilpot', and in 2005 ...

**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 **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 or 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 par ...

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

Transport

Railway stations:

Helmond Helmond (; called ''Hèllemond'' in the local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of ...

, 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, borough cou ...

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 caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political party, political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller politic ...

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 (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...

professor and theological writer. * Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude (1853–1937) a Dutch zoologist and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

* Matthijs Vermeulen (1888–1967) a Dutch composer and music journalist *

Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven Frederik Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven, (November 23, 1893 – November 18, 1961) was a Dutch psychiatrist and anthroposophist. From 1923 until his death in 1961 he was chairman of the Dutch Anthroposophical Society. He was a familiar figure in ...

(1893-1961) a Dutch

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

and anthroposophist *

Franz Jozef Van Beeck Frans Jozef Van Beeck or Franz Jozef van Beeck, also known as Joep van Beeck (June 11, 1930 – October 12, 2011), was a Dutch author and Christian theologian who was also a prominent priest of the Society of Jesus. Born in Helmond, Netherlands ...

(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-Democr ...

(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, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Cana ...

Stochelo Rosenberg Stochelo Rosenberg (born 19 February 1968) is a Gypsy jazz guitarist who leads the Rosenberg Trio. Biography Rosenberg started playing guitar when he was ten years old. A member of the Sinti, he heard music often at home and from relatives. Wit ...

(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 Association football, football player and a scout for PSV Eindhoven. Van der Kuijlen was born in Helmond and started his youth caree ...

(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 commonly 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 ...

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 feminin ...

and

Willy van de Kerkhof Wilhelmus Antonius 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 Netherlands national team that made the Wo ...

(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 Hubertus Aegidius Hermanus "Berry" van Aerle (; born 8 December 1962) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played mainly as a right-back but also as a midfielder. A tough tackler, he was best known for his spell with PSV, which he hel ...

(born 1962) a Dutch retired footballer with 315 club caps * Hans Gillhaus (born 1963) a Dutch retired footballer with 400 club caps * Pieter Gruijters (born 1967) is a Paralympic athlete, *

Wilfred Bouma Wilfred Bouma (; who was born on 15th June, 1978 is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played most notably for PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa and the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands nat ...

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

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

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

Bob de Voogd Bob de Voogd (; born 16 September 1988) is a Dutch former field hockey player who played as a midfielder or forward. He was included to the national team in 2009 and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, placing fourth in 2016. Club career ...

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

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

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, Berkendonk bij drukte 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