Commune (pop., 2001 est.: 203,397), southern Netherlands.
Situated on the Dommel River southeast of Rotterdam , it was chartered in 1232 by Henry I, duke of Brabant. After 1900 it developed from a small village into one of the largest industrial centres of The Netherlands, and in 1920 it annexed five adjoining municipalities. The city is the seat of a technical university and the headquarters of Philips Electronics NV .