The Dutch city of light and design

Eindhoven is not a canal-and-gable town. It grew in the twentieth century around one company, Philips, which began making light bulbs here in 1891, and much of the centre was rebuilt after 1945. What the city offers instead is a look at how the Dutch make things: the Design Academy, a technical university and a dense scene of studios have turned old factory floors into workshops, showrooms and restaurants.

The clearest example is Strijp-S, the former Philips works north-west of the centre, once fenced off and known as the Forbidden City. Its concrete halls now hold shops, a food market, a skate park and concert venues. Closer to the centre, the Van Abbemuseum shows modern and contemporary art beside the river Dommel, and the streets of De Bergen around Kleine Berg are lined with independent boutiques and cafés.

Two events set the calendar. Dutch Design Week takes over the city for nine days each October, and in November the GLOW festival lights façades and parks after dark. At other times Eindhoven is easy-going and quick to cross by bicycle, with the village of Nuenen, where Vincent van Gogh painted The Potato Eaters, a short ride to the north-east. The local snack is the worstenbroodje, a warm Brabant sausage roll.