Valkenswaard

Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard
Municipality
	Church in Valkenswaard
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location in North Brabant
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Brabant
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Anton Ederveen (CDA)
Area
• Total	56.50 km2 (21.81 sq mi)
• Land	54.92 km2 (21.20 sq mi)
• Water	1.58 km2 (0.61 sq mi)
Elevation	25 m (82 ft)
Population (January 2021)
• Total	31,221
• Density	568/km2 (1,470/sq mi)
Demonym	Valkenswaarder / Valkenswaardenaar
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	5550–5556
Area code	040
Website	www.valkenswaard.nl

Valkenswaard (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of 31,221 in 2021 and spans an area of 56.50 km² (21.81 sq mi) of which 1.58 km² (0.61 sq mi) is water.

The name Valkenswaard stems from its history of falconers, who caught wild falcons 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. Valkenswaard's falcon-catching area has now been built over and falcons are no longer caught there.

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.

The spoken language is Kempenlands (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).^[5]

Population centres

Borkel en Schaft
Dommelen
Valkenswaard

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Valkenswaard, June 2015

Partner municipalities

Tienen (Belgium)
Salvaterra de Magos (Portugal)

Notable people born in Valkenswaard

Pieter van Geel, politician
Dominique van Hulst ("Do"), singer
Jan Tops, equestrian
Daniëlle van de Donk, footballer

References

^ "Samenstelling college van B&W" (in Dutch). Gemeente Valkenswaard. Retrieved 5 June 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^ "Postcodetool for 5554DA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 5 June 2014. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
^ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
^ Jos & Cor Swanenberg: Taal in stad en land: Oost-Brabants, ISBN 9012090105