Home Of The Biggest Brewery In The Netherlands

Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. Economic activities were mainly industrial and Breda was a centre of the food and drinking industry. Today, it is a major industrial centre for engineering, synthetic fibres, food industry, Mentos, Kwatta chocolate and beer. Breda also used to house the biggest brewery in the Netherlands Oranjeboom.

Breda has strong connection to the Royal House of Orange Nassau. The ties between the House of Nassau, later the House of Orange-Nassau, date from 1403, when the German Count Engelbrecht I of Nassau married Johanna van Polanen, a wealthy Dutch heiress. The Nassaus settled in Breda and soon became one of the leading noble families in the Low Countries.

The city is much cheaper than in other cities of the Netherlands. Apart from the weekly markets Breda has about 500 shops in the city centre. There are a lot of car-free shopping streets around the Grote Markt. Every first Sunday of a month all the stores are open.

Breda has a very lively nightlife. Most of the pubs, bars and clubs are all located on or just off the two squares the Grote Markt and Havermarkt.

The city is the home town of the world's famous DJ Tiesto and the manager of Elvis Presley, Colonel Tom Parker who was born in Breda in 1909 as Andreas Cornelius van Kuijk.It is the birthplace of former Olympic swimmer Karin Brienesse and former field hockey player Remco van Wijk.

Every year usually in May, since 1970, there is a jazz festival taking place. Jazz bands from all over the world are come to the city to play the music. Some of these bands are very famous in their own countries and even in the world. Jazz has many different styles and most of them can be heard during the festival.

The De Grote Markt church has two names first the Grote Kerk was used by protestants, the second Our Dear Lady's Church used by Catholics. On the place where the Grote Kerk found today used to be a small church of Breda until the end of 12th century, in 1400 they started building the Grote Kerk. Unfortunately the tower collapsed during a storm, and in 1468 the building of the second tower was started. It took 40 years to build. Today the tower is almost 98 meters high, and can be seen form every where in Breda. It is one of the highest Church towers in the Netherlands.