The modern industrial town of Eindhoven, on the river Dommel, was until the second half of the 19th century a small town of no particular note or importance. Its rapid growth began after the establishment of the Philips works in 1891, and by 1918 the town had a population of 64,000. In recent decades it has developed into
the largest town in the southern Netherlands and the fifth largest in the country. The production of light bulbs earned it the name of the "Lichtstad" ("City of Light"). The most important industrial establishment after the Philips works is the DAF car manufacturing plant. Other industries include the manufacture of glassware, plastics, paper, textiles and tobacco goods. Eindhoven, with a commuter belt extending into Belgium, is of importance not only as an industrial town but as the chief center of a large surrounding area. It has a University of Technology (founded 1956), two colleges of social science, a school of industrial design, several scholarly libraries and a chamber of commerce.
Outside the town is a small castle and within town is Parktheater with one of the largest stages in the Netherlands.
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