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BREDA: A short history of the town
Breda is presumable being found in the 9th century.
The name is made from the unite of two words, Brede and Aa, and points to the place where two small rivers ( Mark and Aa ) join together and is getting wider. ( Brede = wider )
About 1190 there was already some talk of a Castle, it was the property of Godevaert van Schoten, who has build it to defended his territory, and also the building was used as fortification.
In 1252 Breda gets city rights by the charter of Hendrik van Breda.
Owing to this the town gets very soon more rights, such as charging excise and there was the right to keep market.
Since 1321 there is still a market on Tuesday, and it is still at the same place as in the middle ages, on a square in the centre of the town which has the name Groote Markt. ( Great Market )
great market
In the 14th century, Jan van Polanen builded city-walls around the town and a small mediaeval town arises.
At the place of the old Citadel ( Castle ) was build a new Castle by order of Jan van Polanen.
In the 16th century Breda reached a height in prosperity, during the period Hendrik III was ruling Breda. He also completed the building of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk ( Great Chrurch of Breda ) which was started in the 14th century
Great church of Breda
In 1534 there was a great fire which destroyed about 1300 houses, the townhall, churches and cloisters.
The Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk ( Great Church ) and about 160 houses was all that was spared.
The town was being rebuild and they make the streets more wide.
In 1543 the building of the town walls was finished by René van Châlon, he was the heir of the Principality of Orange.
After his dead in 1544, his nephew Willem van Nassau-Dillenburg, ( later better known as Willem van Oranje ( William of Orange)) inheritated his properties in the Netherlands and France.
Willem van Oranje is the ancestor of todays Dutch Royal Family.
William of Orange
During the Spanish occupation in the octogenarian war the town of Breda has many sufferings.
In 1567 Willem van Oranje take refuge in Germany.
The Castle was regular the centre of the occupation.
In 1581 the town was in "complete decadence" and Philips II gave it several privileges.
Philip II,the spanish King
The Castle and the town were took by surprise by Adriaan van Bergen, he was a teap-skipper from Leur. ( a small town nearby Breda )
In 1624, Spinola, a Spanish commander took the town back in Spanish hands.
At last Frederik Hendrik puts the town under State-authority.
He has his headquarters in the Castle of Bouvigne. ( it is near Breda )
Castle of Bouvigne
In 1667 the peace-treaty of Breda was signed.
In 1795 the French took Breda and it was no longer a manornes, the town was in a languish existence, in 1813 the French were dislodged from the town.
In 1828 the Castle of Breda was being used as Royal Military Academy…….., and it still is.
Castle of Breda
In the 19th century industries of all kinds came to Breda, like vegetable- and fruit tinning factories, chocolate ( Kwatta ) and more.
Kwatta factory
The city also gets connection to the railway-system.
railwaystation Breda in about1900
In 1927 the territory of Breda was enlarged with 900 ha by annexation.
The inhabitation was going out of the city borders, and there came houses at the territories of the municipalities of Princenhage, Teteringen and Ginneken.
In 1942 Princenhage and Ginneken were added to Breda and a part of Teteringen was annexed.
At the beginning of World War 2, in the month of may the population of Breda was evacuated. Great groups of people have been wander about a great part of Europe, and on their way there were lots of victims by the acts of war.
After the Second World War, Breda was getting bigger and bigger, and it still is growing.
There came all kinds of new neigbourhoods like Hoge Vucht, Ijpelaar and Haagse Beemden.
Recently the territory of Breda is enlarged by annexation of Prinsenbeek and Teteringen.
The population of Breda is now about 130.000.
