Tilburg, Netherlands

Tilburg
City and Municipality
Aerial view of Tilburg
Flag Coat of arms
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates: 51°33′N 5°5′E / 51.550°N 5.083°E / 51.550; 5.083Coordinates: 51°33′N 5°5′E / 51.550°N 5.083°E / 51.550; 5.083
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Brabant
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Peter Noordanus (PvdA)
Area
• Municipality	119.18 km2 (46.02 sq mi)
• Land	117.29 km2 (45.29 sq mi)
• Water	1.89 km2 (0.73 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population (Municipality, May 2014; Urban and Metro, May 2014)
• Municipality	210,289
• Density	1,793/km2 (4,640/sq mi)
• Urban	233,339
• Metro	300,249
•	553,706
• Brabant CMSA	1,932,055
Demonym(s)	Tilburger
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	5000–5049, 5056, 5070–5071
Area code	013
Website	www.tilburg.nl

Tilburg [ˈtɪlbɵr(ə)x] is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout. With a population of 210,289, it is the second largest city of Noord-Brabant, and the sixth largest city of the Netherlands. Its metropolitan area, which includes Goirle, has 300,249 inhabitants.

Tilburg University is located in Tilburg, as are Avans University of Applied Sciences and Fontys University of Applied Sciences.

Tilburg is known for its 10-day-long funfair, the largest in the Benelux, held in July each year. The Monday during the funfair is called "Roze Maandag" (Pink Monday), and is primarily LGBT-oriented, though also enjoyed by many heterosexuals.

There are three railway stations within the municipality: Tilburg, Tilburg Universiteit and Tilburg Reeshof. The 75-hectare (185-acre) "Spoorzone" area around Tilburg Central station used to be owned by Dutch Railways as one of its national train maintenance yards. It has recently been purchased by the city and is currently being transformed into a happening urban zone, which should become an integral part of the inner city.

Little is known about the beginnings of Tilburg. The name "Tilburg" first appeared in documents dating from 709 AD but after that there was no mention for several centuries. In the later Middle Ages, Tilburg referred to a region rather than a particular town or village; its population was largely in a couple of hamlets, one of which was known as "Eastern Tilburg" (Oost-Tilburg), which was later reflected in the name of Oisterwijk ("Eastern Quarter"). This village centred around a small (probably wooden) castle or Motteburcht on an equally small hill, which became derelict and was torn down after a few centuries at most. Of this first "Tilburg Castle", nothing remained c. 2000, except for a few remnants of its moat in the suburbs of Oisterwijk. In the 14th century, Tilburg was proclaimed a manor; together with Goirle, it acquired the title of "The Manor of Tilburg and Goirle".