Prinsenbeek

Infobox town
official_name = Prinsenbeek
mapsize = 280px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Netherlands
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = North Brabant
subdivision_type2 = City
subdivision_name2 = Breda
settlement_type = Town
area_footnotes = (2007)
population_as_of = 1 January, 2007
population_total = 11.419
postal_code_type = Postcode
postal_code = 4841
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2

Prinsenbeek is a village and a former municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. The village is situated west of the motorway A16 (Rotterdam - Antwerp) and the TGV-line Amsterdam - Paris. Prinsenbeek is a part of the municipality Breda, and it has 11,419 inhabitants (2005). There is a train station on the line Rotterdam - Breda. When it is carnival, Prinsenbeek is called Boemeldonck (slowtrainswamp).

History

Initially, the village was called Beek. The Prinsenhoeve at Beek was built in the 14th century, and that is the first appearance of this village. Beek became in 1796 an own parish. On 1 July 1866, the train station Prinsenbeek was built.

The municipality Beek was founded in 1942, during World War II, when the town Princenhage was added to the town Breda. The village, with a church, became a municpalty on its own. In 1951, the name was changed into Prinsenbeek, because there were several more towns called Beek, one in Limburg and one in Gelderland. Because of a royal decision, on 12 January 1951, Prinsenbeek got a town arms, and on 11 October 1963, the town council decided to have a town flag. On 1 July 1976, the area, eastern of the railway was added to Breda. Finally, at the municipal redividing on 1 January 1997, Prinsenbeek was added to Breda.

Buildings

Prinsenbeek has some civil monuments.The pump at the Markt is a reconstruction from 1975 of the pump from 1874, which was destroyed in 1935.

The Mariachapel was built in 1953, and renamed in 1980 into 'Chapel of Peace', in remembrance of the people who died in the second World War.

The church, built on the Maket square.

A sculpture of a slowtrain, which was used to drive on the railroad.

External links

* [http://www.prinsenbeek.nl/ Dutch website of Prinsenbeek]
* [http://www.ngw.nl/p/prinsenb.htm Town arms of Prinsenbeek, with explanation in Dutch]
* [http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/mapPerformPage?strLocation=Prinsenbeek&strCountry=285 Map of Prinsenbeek]