# Geldrop

Geldrop is a town of 29,000 people (2021) in North Brabant in the Netherlands. It's located at easy biking distance from Eindhoven, but is mostly surrounded by heathlands and forest area. It is this combination of nature and nearby big city facilities that draws in visitors. In fact, with over 280,000 overnight stays a year (both business and tourist), Geldrop hosts far more visitors than you might expect from a town its size. It's a fine base to explore the natural surroundings and a more peaceful alternative to staying in Eindhoven. And the best is, there's even a few sights worth seeing, in particular the charming Geldrop castle right in the town centre.

## Understand

For centuries, textile production was the main economic activity in Geldrop. In the 19th century, it had the second largest wool production centre in the country, second only after Tilburg. The textile production declined rapidly after the 1960s, however, until is was almost entirely gone in the 1970s. Today, the Weaving Museum reminds of those glory days of industry. Local authorities are now trying to stimulate the existing recreation and tourism industry further, hoping to develop it into the area's main source of income.

### Tourist information

* VVV Geldrop Tourist Office, Langstraat 12, ☏ +31 40 2863492. Th-Sa 09:30-17:00.

## Get in

By public transport, Geldrop is best reachable via nearby Eindhoven. Bus lines 24 and 320 leave from Eindhoven bus station and take about half an hour. Line 320 also connects to nearby Asten and Helmond.
Faster is the NS Sprinter train (direction Weert) which will get you to Geldrop in just 5 minutes.
If you're driving, the A67 passes close by Geldrop. It connects to the A2 to go north or south, or to the E34 to go east and across the border to Germany. Coming from Eindhoven, follow the Geldropseweg and then the Eindhovenseweg.
Alternatively, you can easily reach Geldrop by bike coming from Eindhoven.
* 51.425.5502781 Geldrop railway station. (updated Apr 2022)

## Get around

The town is small enough to get by on foot. A bike is a good way to take in a bit more of the surroundings. Some hotels offer rental bikes at a charge.

## See

* Geldrop castle, Mierloseweg 1, but the parking place is at Helze 8, ☏ +31 40 2801230, info@kasteelgeldrop.nl. Visit castle: Su 14:00-17:00, Expositions:Th F Su 14:00-17:00. First built in the 14th century, the current castle structure originates for a large part in the 17th century, with further adaptations made around the 1870s. The lovely English gardens were also established during that last large round of restorations. Today, the castle is maintained by a non-profit foundation and the park is also home to a children's farm and vegetable & herb garden. The park and children's farm is open all year, but the castle is only open in summer. In July and August, you can visit Tu-Su from 14:00 to 17:00. Other months, it's only open at those times on Sunday. No charge, gifts appreciated.
* 't Nupke (Corn mill), Molenakker 3, ☏ +31 40 2851229, molenaars@hetnupke.nl. Sa 10:00-16:00. Corn mill 't Nupke was built in 1843 on a plot of land called Nupke and is of type round stones belt mill, ie the outside of the mill is of stone and the mill has a raised foot of sand, a so-called belt.
* $^{[deadlink]}$ St. Brigidakerk, Nieuwendijk 2, ☏ +31 40 2862364, brigida@onsbrabantnet.nl. The Roman Catholic church was built between 1889 and 1891 to a design by architect Carl Weber. Weber inspired the church at the Minster Church in Roermond. It is a strong neo-Romanesque cruciform church with towers and a large dome. The towers on the front are 71 m high and topped by a spire on four gables. The church has a tubular choir and transepts. Besides the dome are built two towers on both sides. The interior of the church is carried out in different colour bricks. Above the cross is the huge dome that has an internal height of approximately 40 meters. The church is one of Weber's most important work to date and is used by Brigida Parish in Geldrop.
* St. Vincentius building, Langstraat 27. The St. Vincent building is a built in 1899 and is on the National Monument List. A Vincentius Association was a parochial institution named after Saint Vincent Paolo with the task of taking care of the poor. The image on the facade is Saint Elisabeth of Hungary.
* Weverij Museum (Weaving Museum), Molenstraat 21, ☏ +31 40-2863574. Only every Wednesday and Saturday, plus the first Sunday of every month. 13:00-17:00. Tours are available at 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30. A small museum about the rich textile industry Geldrop once knew. €5.
* 51.4121135.5479581 J. R. R. Tolkien neighbourhood, 500 m south of the train station. There is a neighbourhood in Geldrop where for whatever reason all the streets are named after characters of J. R. R. Tolkien's books (such as Aragorn or Galadriel - the usual ending "straat" (street) is not used in the names. The only exception is Laan van Tolkien - Tolkien Avenue). (updated Jan 2020)

## Do

Hiking and biking is a popular activity around town, as it is surrounded by heat lands and forests. Several trails and routes are available from the tourist information office. In the vicinity of Geldrop are nice little villages. Heeze, 6 km south, has a wonderful castle in a great wooded area. Heeze has some thirty national monuments of which a dozen around the castle. Furthermore, there are monumental longhouse farms, churches and houses.
* Heeze castle, Kapelstraat 25, ☏ +31 40 2261431, info@kasteelheeze.nl. In summer, guided tours held on Sunday afternoons at 14:00 and 15:00. Heeze Castle can be reached via a splendid drive. It is at three sides surrounded by canals and consists of two parts, the medieval castle and the newer Eymerick 17th-century castle built between 1660-1655. Although the castle is inhabited, it is open to visitors. It has about thirty rooms, including a number of fine style rooms. There is a strange bathroom with a rare bathtub with a 17th-century Goblin tapestries, including some that show scenes from the life of Alexander the Great. €8.
Geldrop is a town within the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo. Mierlo, with 10,000 inhabitants, is 6 km east of Geldrop. The village has a nice centre and nine national monuments including two old mills, the town hall, a patronage and some farmes.
Tired of biking? Consider a relaxing day in the spa. The Thermen Geldrop are one of the best options around Eindhoven, and offers delightful saunas and massages as well as good food. It can be a bit crowded in weekends, but gets lots of positive reviews.
* Thermen Geldrop, Zwembadweg 7, ☏ +31 40 285 48 77. Entrance for a day is €27.50, day arrangements (including a massage) from €49.95.

## Buy

Geldrop's history is all about textiles. Why not take a kitchen towel or table cloth as an actually useful reminder of your visit? The Weverij Museum shop has some good examples.

## Eat

* $^{[deadlink]}$ D'n Brabander, Nieuwendijk 15, ☏ +31 40 787 82 97. Tasty French/Dutch oriented food for a good price. From €22.50 for a menu.
* Irodion, Bogardeind 17, ☏ +31 40 2868654. M-F 17:00-22:00 Sa Su 16:00-22:00. Greek specialty restaurant
* Grand Cafe Taste, Heuvel 7a, ☏ +31 40 368 52 32. Good value food, with plenty of choice and several vegetarian options. The menu holds a rather wide selection, from burgers and risotto to fish and meat platters. Mains around €20.

## Drink

* $^{[formerlydeadlink]}$ De Kroeg, Bogardeind 203, ☏ +31 40 2856049, dekroeggeldrop@upcmail.nl. W Th 20:00-01:00, F Sa 20:00-02:00, Su 15:00-24:00. Regular band performances
* $^{[deadlink]}$ De Daltons, Mierloseweg 88, ☏ +31 40 2853035, info@cafededaltons.nl. Tu-Th 19:00-02:00, F-M 16:00-02:00. A cozy pub just outside the center of Geldrop

## Sleep

* Hotel De Gouden Leeuw, Korte Kerkstraat 46, ☏ +31 40 2862393, info@degoudenleeuwgeldrop.nl. This hotel is in the centre of Geldrop. €81.
* Hotel Nijver, Heuvel 1a. Modern boutique hotel with spacious rooms at just a few hundred meters from the castle. The hotel and room designs refer to Geldrop's rich history in the textile industry. Its restaurant, called Kaffee Peijnenburg, offers good value for money food. €75.
* NH Hotel, ☏ +31 40 2867510, nhgeldrop@nh-hotels.com. This hotel has 131 rooms and many facilities. It lies on the edge of Geldrop. €61.

## Connect

Geldrop has areal code 040 which is the same as Eindhoven. If dialing from abroad, use +31 but then leave out the 0 in the area code. All hotels have free WiFi.

## Go next

* Eindhoven - the city of light and a design hotspot
* 's Hertogenbosch - a beautiful historic city some 50 km from Geldrop.
* Roermond - historically an important town with a pleasant town centre full of monuments.