How well do you know the E of the EDC?
Of course you know that the E of the EDC stands for Eindhoven. You probably also know that Eindhoven is quite a big city (by Dutch standards) and maybe you even know that the city received its city rights as early as 1232 from Duke Hendrik I of Brabant.
Eindhoven originated where the rivers Dommel and Gender cross. I decided to explore Eindhoven while walking along the banks of the Dommel.
Exploring Eindhoven on foot
I started at the beginning, where the Dommel flows into Eindhoven, at junction De Hogt. Here you almost immediately walk into water catchment area De Klotputten. If you didn’t hear the cars, you wouldn’t suspect that you were really walking into Eindhoven after all. Green everywhere and I met hardly anyone.
After about two kilometres, you see HTC, the High Tech Campus, on the other side of the Dommel river. In a distant and grey past, this was the Physics Laboratory of Philips, the well-known light bulb manufacturer that made Eindhoven great. Now, it is home to more than 165 companies and technical institutes that jointly research Nano- and Microsystems, Life Tech, Infotainment, Embedded Software and High-Tech Systems
Walking in Eindhoven’s parks
At km 3.5, I walk into the Genneper Parks, the natural area where the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium can also be found: the pool where the EDC always takes place.
Should you ever have time to spare before or after skipping clean… the Genneper Parken is a beautiful area for a lovely walk.
At km 4.5, I go back in time. Here stands the Genneper Watermolen, which was also painted by Vincent van Gogh.
A little further on I leave Genneper Parken and cross the ring road (Boutenslaan) for the first time. I exchange one park for another, as the Dommel flows through the Dommelplantsoen here.
This is also where the river Tongelreep joins the Dommel. National Swimming Centre De Tongelreep, which includes the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium, is of course named after this river.
Via Lex and Edo Hornemannplantsoen (which commemorates all the Jewish children who were taken away and killed from Eindhoven in World War II) and Anne Frankplantsoen, I arrive in the centre of Eindhoven.
Museum and city centre
At km 6.5 is the Van Abbemuseum. This museum is one of the leading museums of contemporary art in Europe. The museum has an extensive international collection of 3,150 works of art.
Openness, hospitality and knowledge exchange are core concepts for the Van Abbemuseum.
On my way to the north of Eindhoven, I still pass the longest entertainment street in the Netherlands: the Stratumseind, fun guaranteed!
Then I pass (at a distance) the Paterskerk with the characteristic statue of Jesus Reckless on the tower and Huize De Laak, the home of one of the founders of Philips: Anton Philips and his family.
Via the Dommel tunnel (km 8.5), I reach the TU/e campus. For a few years now, the Dommel tunnel has been graced with John Cleese’s “Silly Walk”. In 2016, John Cleese officially opened this Silly Walk tunnel.
The TU/e campus seems to be the end of the urban area. From here you walk again mainly through greenery, but appearances can be deceiving, we are still in the middle of the city.
We cross the ring road again here (Onze Lieve Vrouwestraat) and follow the Dommel river further along a commemorative path past athletics track De Hondsheuvels and past residential care facility Eckartdal.
After that, you will see occasional glimpses of a residential area as you walk through the greenery until, after about 17 km, you reach the spot where the Dommel leaves Eindhoven again and the footpath ends at a gate…
Greetings from Ursula.
