Eindhoven from A to Z: Philips

The letter P can only stand for one thing in the Eindhoven alphabet. And that's not PSV. It could have been! But ultimately, even this football club wouldn't have existed without another P. The P we're talking about has shaped and grown Eindhoven in almost every aspect. Of course, the P stands for Philips. Let's delve into the remarkable story of this Eindhoven multinational.

“At the beginning, I had to do everything by myself”, these words on a facade in Strijp-S were spoken by Gerard Philips. He is the engineer who, in 1891, purchased a small factory on Emmasingel in Eindhoven to start producing light bulbs. It was no easy task at the time. The biggest challenge was to create a quality bulb that wouldn't burn out immediately and could be mass-produced. Also, there were other manufacturers with comparable plans. Fortunately, Gerard didn't have to do it all alone. Besides his father, his brother Anton came on board a few years later. He managed to sell Gerard's light bulbs and stay ahead of the competition.

In the over hundred years that Philips has been in Eindhoven, an impressive empire has been built. The company evolved from a light bulb manufacturer to a major player in the electronics industry. The company's research department is famous for producing many well-known inventions, such as the CD, developed in collaboration with Sony. Plus, Philips is the genius behind cassette tapes and home video recorders.The city grows at the same pace as the company. With a need for a large workforce, Philips constructs houses, schools, and recreational facilities for its employees. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the Philips Sport Vereniging, known as, yes indeed, PSV.

Philips' legacy in the city isn't just about its fancy buildings – check out this cool list of Philips-inspired architecture. It's also about spin-off companies like ASML, which started right here. To dive deeper into Philips' heritage, check out this fun article. And if you're curious about the company's roots, head over to Emmasingel 31, where Gerard's light bulb factory used to be. Now it's home to the awesome Philips Museum – a must-visit for anyone who's ever used a Philips gadget.