Valkenswaard

Valkenswaard (pronunciation ) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of 30,910 in 2019 and spans an area of 56.50 km² (21.81 sq mi) of which 1.58 km² (0.61 sq mi) is water.

Valkenswaard
Municipality
Church in Valkenswaard
Flag Coat of arms
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates: 51°21′N 5°28′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Brabant
Government [1]
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Anton Ederveen (CDA)
Area [2]
• 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 [3]	25 m (82 ft)
Population  (January 2019)[4]
• Total	30,910
• Density	563/km2 (1,460/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Valkenswaarder / Valkenswaardenaar
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	5550–5556
Area code	040
Website	www.valkenswaard.nl

Temporar sculptures in front of the townhall

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.

A Second World War cemetery containing 220 British soldiers was created near Valkenswaard in October 1944. It is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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

The Eurocircuit Valkenswaard is a motorsport racetrack that has hosted the European Rallycross Championship and the FIM Motocross World Championship.