Kaatsheuvel

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kaatsheuvel


mapsize =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Netherlands
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = North Brabant
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 =
area_land_km2 =
area_water_km2 =
population_as_of = 1 January, 2007
population_note = Source: CBS, [http://statline.cbs.nl/ Statline] .
settlement_type = Municipality
population_total = 16600
population_density_km2 = 706
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2

Kaatsheuvel is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is situated along the highways N261 and N628, and with a population of roughly 16,600, it is the largest village in the municipality Loon op Zand, which also consists of De Moer and Loon op Zand. Kaatsheuvel is also the capital of the municipality due to the fact that the town hall is located here.

Etymology

Kaatsheuvel is a combination of the words Kaats and Heuvel. The word Heuvel is easy to explain, as it is Dutch for hill. Kaats however, is not as easy to explain. There are several theories as to how the name Kaatsheuvel came about. One theory is that it was named after St. Catharina, a very popular saint at the time. Another theory is that the early inhabitants of Kaatsheuvel would, on Sundays, play a game called kaatsspel. They would play this game on a hill. However, the most likely explanation is that in the 17th century, a man by the name of Hendrik Cets lived on a hill, where Kaatsheuvel now stands. Over time this place came to be known as Cetsheuvel.

Economy

Historically, the economy of Kaatsheuvel was primarily dependent on the shoe industry. This is still evident with companies such as Bunnies Kinderschoenen retaining their headquarters in Kaatsheuvel. In the 1950s, the then mayor Van der Heijden, wanted to attract other industries to the burgeoning village, in order to secure its economic future. This was accomplished with the completion of the theme park The Efteling on 31 May 1952. As a result, the importance of tourism greatly replaced that of the shoe industry. The economy of Kaatsheuvel was furthered bolstered by Ben Mandemakers, when he established his now famous Mandemakers Keukens.

Location

Kaatsheuvel is situated near the municipalities of Waalwijk and Drunen. It is also very close to the cities Tilburg, s'Hertogenbosch, and Breda.

People born in Kaatsheuvel

* Marius van Amelsfoort (1930-2006), Dutch politician
* Anne Govaert (1983- ), Krezip
* Jacqueline Govaert (1982- ), Krezip
* Ben Mandemakers, Mandemakers Keukens