Fun facts and the big picture: two hefty 'zap' pills about the history of Greater Eindhoven 1920-2020.

EINDHOVEN - During the celebration of PSV's first championship in 1929, Anton Philips and the municipality of Eindhoven argued over the route of the flatbed truck during the tribute. Of course, it had to pass by the Philips' country house De Laak first. This is characteristic of the relationship between Eindhoven and Philips, write Thom Aussems and Hans Horsten in their book Eindhoven, about the history of the city.

Hans Horsten (left) and Thom Aussems have written a book about 100 years of Greater Eindhoven 1920-2020. © Bert Jansen/DCI-Media

The writers consulted 800 books and 3000 newspaper articles. They used 2000 photos from the Philips Archive and from well-known photographers such as Norbert van Onna and Martien Coppens. They covered 1075 topics, each with its own text. This resulted in two thick volumes totaling about 1260 pages covering the history of Greater Eindhoven 1920-2020.

It's a real zapping book

"But who is going to read all that? Nobody," joke Thom Aussems and Hans Horsten, who are responsible for the book. "But it is also a zapping book. You can browse through it on a rainy Sunday afternoon, read random pieces, and if you want to know more, you can find that in other books. Moreover, there are a lot of photos in it. Sometimes there are also pages full of certain themes, such as the Philips Kumpanytown," said Aussems. Horsten, as a writer/editor, had to keep the former Trudo director 'brief', helped by designer Marc Koppen.

The reason for the book is the hundredth anniversary of Eindhoven. In 1920, the municipalities of Eindhoven, Gestel, Stratum, Strijp, Tongelre, and Woensel were merged. The celebration in 2020 was greatly disrupted by the corona measures. Aussems and Horsten also suffered a lot. For example, archives were not accessible. "So I spent 6000 euros to buy 800 books. But then I was in Portugal, where I live regularly. For months, I couldn't go to Eindhoven. So we had to ship the books to Portugal in twenty moving boxes," Aussems explains.

The two books that together describe the history of Greater Eindhoven 1920-2020. © Publisher Lecturis/design Marc Koppen

Additional costs, partly covered by the municipality and partly by sponsors, all added up. But it was mainly the ever-expanding scope that made the project more expensive. In the end, it turned into two books - technically it couldn't be otherwise - and the print run had to be increased to keep it somewhat affordable. Forty euros turned out to be unattainable, but thanks to donations, the price of part one remains limited to 50 euros. 3700 copies of part one have already been ordered, and 2400 of part two.

In the first book, the entire history is covered in 1075 chapters, divided into several periods from 1815 to 2020. Starting from 1815 to understand why Philips could find large numbers of cheap laborers here. With the arrival of Philips in 1891, World War II, and Operation Centurion with the layoffs at Philips as major turning points. The state of the economy, the condition of the physical city, and the quality of life, as well as the socio-economic aspects, are highlighted throughout.

In part two, the bigger picture is addressed: Eindhoven is not an island, but part of world history and the trends at play within it. "In part one, you can read interesting pieces. For example, about the first traffic light. A trivial fact that is part of urban development. In part two, you can see more about how it has grown and originated," said Horsten.

With VIPRE buses, the staff of Philips and DAF in Eindhoven were transported; here they are lined up at the gate on Beukenlaan, near the Veemgebouw. © Huub Jacobs

Did it have to be so detailed? "Yes, it had to be. Because if I start something, it has to be accurate," says Aussems. "Of course, a lot has already been written about Eindhoven, but this book is quite comprehensive. Although we will probably find out that we have forgotten something," adds Horsten.

Aussems said: "And when you record something, you also want to explain why that is. An example? For instance, we discovered that after the war, the blanket of the Catholic Church in Eindhoven suddenly appeared at festive receptions of Philips. While before the war, they were like water and fire. The almost fundamentalist church opposed the non-Catholic Philips family. The Roman Catholic newspapers wrote about Anton Philips as if he were the devil incarnate. Then we found an article in a Catholic weekly magazine after the war with a headline in bold letters stating that Frits Philips had given tours to all the priests and hosted them for dinner. Also, all churches received a sound system. That's when the ice was broken. Since then, the relationship has greatly improved."

Four articles in the Z-section of the ED.

These are the kind of facts that Aussems and Horsten have unearthed. Interesting facts that provide a different perspective on history. But they also keep an eye on the big picture. This is evident in the stories that will appear in the Z-section of this newspaper in the coming weeks. These are thematic stories, specially written for the ED. "In these stories, we address a number of themes, using material from the texts in our book," says Horsten.

One of the topics is the always difficult 'crabby' relationship between the municipality of Greater Eindhoven and Philips. A small example: during PSV's first championship, the two argued about the victory parade. "This is where the idea for the flatbed truck was born," says Aussems. "But Anton demanded that they first pass by his villa De Laak in Tongelre and only then go to the municipal council. He was furious when that didn't happen." It was only under Frits Philips that the relationship improved somewhat.

The claim is that the company has built its own private welfare state, with healthcare, cultural facilities, sports clubs, housing, scholarships, and so on. In order to be attractive to the many employees that the 'company' needed. "But also simply because the municipality never managed to accommodate the industry of that time," Aussems explains.

"And that still doesn't work. Even now, the facilities in Eindhoven are insufficient and companies like ASML have to step in themselves. That is a common thread in the history of Eindhoven." They also want to include a glimpse into the future in the articles. "In 1898, it was Eindhoven Vooruit, a group of progressive manufacturers, who wanted to help the city move forward. Who is doing that nowadays? And how do we ensure, for example, that ASML does not move production abroad, as Philips did because the public domain failed to provide sufficient facilities," the author said.

Presentation, podcasts, and exhibition

The book will be presented in a number of meetings, to representatives of the business community on January 12, to the city council on January 25, and to influential Eindhoven residents on January 26. There will also be a series of podcasts, recorded live with an audience, about the book. And early next year there will be the exhibition Eindhoven 1920-2020, which has been moved to the corridors of buildings TQ and Innovation Powerhouse on Strijp-T.

The books can be ordered through the website of publishing house Lecturis or at bookshop Van Piere. Part 1 titled Eindhoven costs 50 euros, part 2, Transformations without blueprint, 25 euros.