Best, North Brabant
| Best | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 51°30′N 5°24′E / 51.5°N 5.4°ECoordinates: 51°30′N 5°24′E / 51.5°N 5.4°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | North Brabant | ||
| Area(2006) | |||
| • Total | 35.12 km2 (13.56 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 34.28 km2 (13.24 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.83 km2 (0.32 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January, 2007) | |||
| • Total | 29,000 | ||
| • Density | 846/km2 (2,190/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Best (
pronunciation (help·info)) is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It is situated northwest of the city Eindhoven, and is also part of the agglomeration of this city. The village was originally a part of Oirschot, a nearby town. But as Best was situated on the state road from Amsterdam to Maastricht, this often created difficulties. Each time the military wanted to quarter troops in Best, they had to request to be stationed in Oirschot, 10 km away, for this to be allowed. Because of this difficulty, the government decided to separate Best from Oirschot in 1819.
Archaeological excavations around the village suggest settlement in the area dating back to the Roman era. The first written text about Best dates back to 1421.[1]
The village itself, however, did not exist until the 19th century. There were three small villages: Naastenbest in the west, Wilhelminadorp in the south and Verrenbest where Oranjestraat is presently located. They grew together, and formed the village with the name Best.
Best received a train station on the line Rotterdam - Breda - Boxtel - Helmond - Venlo - Maastricht. Initially the line had only one track, but eventually traffic congestion necessitated another track, so it was made double-tracked. In the 1980s, congestion once again became a problem so two more tracks were added in 2002. It is now possible to travel to Best from Utrecht or Eindhoven by train.
The headquarters of Europe's largest meat processor Vion NV are located in Best, as are Philips Healthcare and the Bata Branded Business.
One can take a bus (line numbers 144/145) from the Eindhoven central station to Best. One can also take a bus (line numbers 141/142) from the Tilburg central station to Best.
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[edit] Events
- Lake Dance - at Aqua Best 25 June 2011
- Extrema Outdoor - at Aqua Best 16 July 2011
- Sneakerz Festival - at Aqua Best 18 September 2010
[edit] Politics
As of March 3 2010:
- CDA - 6 seats
- D66 - 4 seat
- VVD - 3 seats
- Best Open - 3 seats
- PvdA - 2 seats
- Jongerenpartij JO - 2 seats
- Gemeentebelangen - 1 seat
[edit] Population centres
- Aarle
- Oud-Best
- Speelheide
- De Vleut
- Batadorp
- Heivelden
- Heuveleind
- Kantonnier
- Salderes
- Koekoeksbos
[edit] Transportation
For train transport see Best railway station.
[edit] Notable people born in Best
- Eric Swinkels (1949) - sports shooter and Olympic medalist
- José Hoebee (1954) - Pop singer and member of girl group Luv'
- Jesse Mahieu (1978) - field hockey defender and Olympic medalist
- Bas Verhoeven (1983) - Dutch motocross MX1 champion 2004 and winner of a GP MX3, Lommel (BEL)
- Hans Vogels (1983) - 5 time Dutch Enduro champ, last title: 2010 E2 class
- Ralf Mackenbach (1995) - Winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009
[edit] References
- ^ "Databank bedevaart en bedevaartplaatsen in Nederland". Meertens.knaw.nl. http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/bedevaart/bol/plaats/86. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
