Valkenswaard
Encyclopedia
Valkenswaard is a municipality
and a town in the southern Netherlands
, in the province of North Brabant
. The municipality had 30,871 citizens (as of December 30, 2009) and spans an area of 56,50 square kilometers (1,15 of which is water).
The name Valkenswaard stems from its history of falconers
, who caught wild falcon
s there; valk is Dutch
for "falcon". It lay on a route where falcons migrated south each year. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Valkenswaardian falconers were active at many European courts, in which falconing was a beloved pastime. In the 19th and 20th century, a number of large cigar
factories were founded in Valkenswaard, the two most renowned of which being Willem II
and Hofnar ("court jester"). Valkenswaard's falcon-catching area has now been built over and falcons are no longer caught there.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a town in the southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the province of North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
. The municipality had 30,871 citizens (as of December 30, 2009) and spans an area of 56,50 square kilometers (1,15 of which is water).
The name Valkenswaard stems from its history of falconers
Falconry
Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
, who caught wild falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
s there; valk is Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for "falcon". It lay on a route where falcons migrated south each year. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Valkenswaardian falconers were active at many European courts, in which falconing was a beloved pastime. In the 19th and 20th century, a number of large cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
factories were founded in Valkenswaard, the two most renowned of which being Willem II
William II, Prince of Orange
William II, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three years later.-Biography:...
and Hofnar ("court jester"). Valkenswaard's falcon-catching area has now been built over and falcons are no longer caught there.
Famous people born in Valkenswaard
- Bouke Beumer, politician
- Caroline de Bruin, actress
- Romé Fasol, mayor
- Pieter van GeelPieter van GeelPetrus Leonardus Bastiaan Antonius van Geel is a Dutch politician for the CDA.He was State Secretary of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment from 2002 until 2007 and a member of the House of Representatives in 2002, 2003 and from 2006 till 2010.- External links : , Parlement & Politiek...
, politician - Dominique van HulstDominique van HulstDominique Rijpma van Hulst is a Dutch singer known by her stage name Do . She is best known for singing the vocals of DJ Sammy's worldwide top 10 hit in 2002-2003, "Heaven", a cover of the 1980s hit by Bryan Adams....
("Do"), singer - Jan TopsJan TopsJohannes Augustinus Petrus Tops is an equestrian from The Netherlands, who won the gold medal in the team jumping event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain riding Top Gun. He did so alongside Piet Raijmakers, Jos Lansink and Bert Romp...
, equestrian