Breda

Breda is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Its name comes from "brede Aa," meaning "wide Aa" or "broad Aa." This name refers to where the rivers Mark and Aa meet.

As of September 13, 2022, Breda had 185,072 people living there. This makes it the tenth largest city in the Netherlands and the third largest in North Brabant, after Eindhoven and Tilburg.

The city is equally distant from Rotterdam and Antwerp. This helped it become an important place historically. Breda was a fortified city, meaning it had strong walls and defenses. This made it valuable for military and political reasons. Even though it was directly under the Holy Roman Emperor, Breda gained the right to govern itself. Later, when the House of Nassau acquired Breda through marriage, the city became a key part of life in the Low Countries.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Breda.

In the 1100s, Breda was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. The city got its official rights in 1252 and built walls and gates to protect itself.

In 1327, Breda was sold to a duke. Later, it became part of the House of Nassau and stayed with them until 1795. This made Breda an important place for noble families, who built grand homes there. A big church with a tall tower was also built.

Breda faced many changes over the years. It was captured and recaptured several times during wars. In 1534, a big fire destroyed most of the city. In 1646, a school was started to train young men for important jobs.

During the Second World War, Breda was occupied by German forces but was later freed by Polish soldiers in 1944. Today, there is a museum and a monument to honor them.

During the Second World War, Breda was occupied by German forces. After the war, a special prison was built there.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1437	4,870	—
1496	6,025	+0.36%
1640	9,500	+0.32%
1740	11,000	+0.15%
1795	8,250	−0.52%
1942	75,694	+1.52%
1945	79,790	+1.77%
1950	89,304	+2.28%
1955	98,050	+1.89%
1960	107,127	+1.79%
1965	115,782	+1.57%
1970	121,209	+0.92%
1975	118,001	−0.54%
1980	117,259	−0.13%
1985	118,974	+0.29%
1990	123,025	+0.67%
1995	129,911	+1.10%
2000	160,615	+4.33%
2005	168,054	+0.91%
2010	173,299	+0.62%
2015	180,937	+0.87%
2020	184,069	+0.34%
2024	188,078	+0.54%
Source: Lourens & Lucassen 1997, pp. 40–41

Administration

The city of Breda has many areas that used to be separate villages. These areas are now part of Breda.

The municipality of Breda is divided into 11 sectors. These include the center, north, west, south, and east parts of the city, as well as areas like Prinsenbeek, Bavel, and Teteringen.

Topography

A map shows the city of Breda from March 2014. You can click to see it bigger.

Economy

The market at Grote Markt

Breda has a long history of making food and drinks. Famous companies like Hero, Van Melle (makers of Mentos), De Faam, and Kwatta all began here. There was also a large sugar factory and a big brewery, once the largest in the Netherlands.

Now, Breda's economy is more about services, business, trade, and logistics. Many big international companies have their main offices for Benelux in Breda, including 3M, Abbott Laboratories, Alfa Laval, Amgen, ExxonMobil, General Electric, General Motors, Scania, Texaco, and Toshiba. The city is also home to the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Because Breda is located between the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, it attracts many logistics companies. Popular shopping areas in Breda include the city center and the southern part of the city, with spots like De Barones and 't Sas. Markets are held often in the Grote Markt area.

Education

Since 1970, Breda has become a city for education and students. In 2012, there were 27,000 students in middle and higher education.

Secondary education in Breda includes several types of schools such as pre-vocational, general, and scientific education. Some schools also offer education in both English and Dutch.

There are also schools for vocational training and universities of applied sciences, offering programs in fields like data science, business, engineering, and art. Breda is also home to a military academy for the Dutch Army, Air Force, and Royal Marechaussee.

Main sights

The city center of Breda has many old buildings, parts of old moats, and a pretty harbor. The main square, called Grote Markt, is a popular spot with pubs and cafes.

Park Valkenberg is a large public park between the main train station and the Grote Markt. Some important historic buildings in Breda include the Grote Kerk (Great Church), the Castle of Breda, and the Bouvigne Castle.

Castle of Breda

Harbour of Breda

Culture

The people of Breda speak a dialect called West Brabantian. It is very similar to everyday Dutch.

Carnaval

Like other places in the south of the Netherlands, Breda celebrates Carnaval 40 days before Easter. This four-day celebration has fun events, silly costumes, and a small beer. During Carnaval, the mayor gives the keys to the city to “Prince Carnaval” and his ‘Council of 11’. Breda has four festive leaders: the Prince of Breda, Princenhage, Haagse Beemden, and the Baron of Ginneken. For the celebration, the city is called ‘Kielengat’. Traditional music is played by wind bands called ‘Dweilorkesten’ (Mop Orchestras). Pubs and bars join in the fun, and there is a big parade with floats and creative designs on Sunday and Monday. The celebration ends on the evening before Ash Wednesday (Shrove Tuesday). A local TV channel, 'BaronieTV', shows the Carnaval events.

Theaters

Breda has many places for shows and concerts, including:

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

Cinemas

Breda has several cinemas, including:

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

Music festivals

Breda holds many music festivals, such as:

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

Museums

Breda is home to several museums, including:

Begijnhof Breda Museum (Beguinage museum)
Generaal Maczek Museum (museum dedicated to General Maczek)
Maczek Memorial Breda (memorial and graveside of General Maczek)
Bier Reclame Museum (Beer advertising museum & bar)
NAC Museum (museum of NAC Breda)
Heemkundig Museum Paulus van Daesdonck (historical museum)
Museum Oorlog & Vrede (War and Peace Museum)
Stedelijk Museum Breda (historical municipal museum)
Princenhaags Museum (historical village museum)

Other notable events

Other events in Breda include:

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

Harley Day

Harley Day was a big one-day motorcycle event held on the third Sunday of August. It featured American motorcycle brands like Harley Davidson and Indian. The last official edition was in 2010.

Roodharigedag

Redhead Day (nl; Roodharigedag) was a festival held in Breda from 2007 to 2011 during the first weekend of September. Since 2019, it moved to Tilburg. This two-day event celebrates people with natural red hair and art related to the color red. Activities included lectures, workshops, and demonstrations.

Sports

Breda is a great city for sports! The city has many clubs and events for people who love to play and watch sports.

Football

Breda's main professional football club is NAC Breda. They play in the Eredivisie, the top league in the Netherlands. Their home stadium is the Rat Verlegh Stadion. NAC Breda won the National Championship once, back in 1921.

There are also many amateur football clubs in Breda.

Hockey

Breda is important for hockey too. The club B.H.V. Push has sent players to the Dutch national teams for both men and women. Some famous players from Push include Bram Lomans, Matthijs Brouwer, Thom van Dijck, Joep de Mol, Floris Wortelboer, Teun Beins, Cécile Vinke, and Malou Pheninckx.

Other hockey clubs in Breda are BNMHC Zwart-Wit and BH & BC Breda, which also includes a bandy club.

Athletics

A.V. Sprint is Breda's big athletics club. They have a track for running and also offer other activities like nordic walking, tai chi, bootcamp, and parasports.

Other sports

Rat Verlegh Stadion

Breda has many other sports clubs too! There is SBC2000 for water polo, swimming, and diving. Breda also has a rugby club, a kickboxing camp called Breda's Golden Glory, and a bowling club. There are also clubs for boxing, artistic gymnastics, roller derby, and groups for rowing and sailing.

Venues

Breda has many places where people can play sports. These include Municipally Sport center Breda, de Drie Linden, de Doelen, Bruut, Zwembad Sonsbeeck, and Sports Boulevard. Sports Boulevard has places for ice skating, racket sports, and a track for cycling.

Sport events

One big event in Breda is the Singelloop, a half marathon held every October. Many runners from around the world come to join this race.

Another big event is Outdoor Brabant, which includes dressage, eventing, show jumping, and Combined driving.

Para Sports

Breda has hosted important events for para sports. In 2024, Breda and Tilburg will host the Special Olympics National Games.

In 2023, Breda held the European Para Championships.

In 2011, ParaGamesBreda welcomed athletes from many countries.

UEFA Women's Championship 2017

In 2017, the NAC Breda Stadion was one of the venues for the Women's European Football Championship. The Dutch women's team won the tournament. Other host cities included Enschede, Deventer, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Doetinchem, and Utrecht.

Demographics

In 2014, the biggest religion in Breda was Christianity. About half of the people practiced it. The next biggest group followed Islam. Many people in Breda did not follow any religion.

In 2020, most people in Breda were Dutch. There were also smaller groups from Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Poland, Suriname, and Ireland.

Notable residents

Breda has been home to many famous people. Charles II of England lived there during his exile. William the Silent, an important leader, also lived in Breda with his wife Anna van Egmont.

The city is where famous electronic dance music artists like R3hab, Dannic, W&W, Tiësto, and Hardwell were born. Other well-known people from Breda include Olympic swimmer Karin Brienesse and field hockey player Remco van Wijk, who won gold medals at the Summer Olympics.

Transportation

Trains

Breda has two railway stations, Breda and Breda-Prinsenbeek, which connect to cities across the Netherlands. Trains go north to places like Rotterdam, Den Haag, and Amsterdam. They also go east to Tilburg, Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Nijmegen, and Zwolle. Going west, trains reach Roosendaal and Vlissingen.

Smaller trains called Sprinters connect towns such as Gilze en Rijen, Etten-Leur, Lage Zwaluwe, and Dordrecht with Breda. The Breda-Prinsenbeek station is only for these Sprinters. There is a fast train linking Breda with Rotterdam Centraal station, Schiphol Airport, and Amsterdam Centraal station. An international train from Amsterdam to Brussels-South railway station also stops in Breda.

Buses

Breda has four types of buses: citybuses, regional, intercity, and international. Citybuses stay within Breda and go to places like Hoge Vucht, Nieuw Wolfslaar, Bavel, Haagse Beemden, Heusdenhout, Meersel-Dreef, and universities. Regional buses go to nearby towns such as Zundert, Zevenbergen, Klundert, Fijnaart, Hooge Zwaluwe, Lage Zwaluwe, Chaam, Baarle-Nassau, Baarle-Hertog, Etten-Leur, Oudenbosch, Oud Gastel, Oosterhout, Geertruidenberg, and Roosendaal. Intercity buses called 'Brabantliner' connect Breda with Gorinchem and Utrecht.

International buses from Breda go to places like Bercy in Seine, Bucharest in Romania, and Paris. Companies like FlixBus, BlaBlaCar bus, and Flibco run these services.

Roads

Breda is linked by several motorways. The A16/E19 goes west to Rotterdam and south to the Belgian border near Hazeldonk/Meer, continuing to Antwerp and Brussels. The A27/E311 goes north to Utrecht and Almere. The A58 connects Breda east to Tilburg and Eindhoven, and west to Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, Middelburg, and Vlissingen. The A59 runs north from 's-Hertogenbosch to Willemstad and then as N59 to Zierikzee. Key interchanges like Sint-Annabosch, Galder, Zonzeel, and Hooipolder connect these motorways.

Waterway

Breda was built because it could be reached by water. The rivers Mark and Aa were used for trade. Today, pleasure boats can reach the city from the north. The city connects to the Volkerak via the Mark and to the Wilhelmina Canal through the Mark Canal. Cargo ships up to 86 meters long can reach Breda from Dintelsas. The 'Werve' yacht port is north of the city center.

Airport

Breda International Airport is west of the city and opened in 1949. It is used for limited civil aviation. Most people travel to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, which is 112 km north of Breda and has many worldwide destinations. Direct trains run between Breda and Schiphol.

Twin towns – sister cities

Breda has friendly partnerships with cities in other countries. These partnerships help the cities work together and learn from each other. Breda is partnered with: