Oirschot Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Oirschot

Former city hall of Oirschot

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in North Brabant

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

102.84 km² (39.71 sq mi)

• Land

101.78 km² (39.30 sq mi)

• Water

1.06 km² (0.41 sq mi)

Elevation

17 m (56 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

18,016

• Density

177/km² (460/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Oirschottenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

5090–5091, 5688–5689

Area code

013, 0499

Map of the municipality of Oirschot, June 2015

Oirschot (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈoːrsxɔt]; Orskot in the local dialect) is a municipality and town in the province of North Brabant (Noord-Brabant) in the southern Netherlands. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Eindhoven and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Tilburg. The municipality had a population of 18,016 in 2014.

Population centres
Sights
Events
Notable people
Gallery
See also

Population centres

Oirschot
Middelbeers
Oostelbeers
Spoordonk
Westelbeers

Saint Petrus church

Sights

There are more than 300 monuments in the municipality Oirschot.

Some of the historic buildings in the town of Oirschot are:

The Roman Catholic Church named Sint-Petrus’-Bandenkerk. This 15th and 16th century Gothic church is the biggest building in the town, and has a 73 meter tower
The old town hall built in 1513 in the town centre
Maria-church (Maria-kerk). A 12th-century Romanesque church in the town centre
Monastery Nazareth (Klooster Nazareth) with a chapel in Neo-Romanesque style (1910)
Former Brewery De Kroon (Brouwerij de Kroon) built in 1773
Hof van Solms, palace of Arnoldus Feij (or Arnold Fey)
The Big Chair (De Grote Stoel) the biggest chair of Europe
Huize Groenenberg, a house built in 1613

Monuments outside the town include:

Chapel of the Holy Oak (Kapel van de Heilige Eik), stone chapel dated 1854 built on the foundations of a stone chapel of 1606 (there was another stone chapel and a wooden chapel on the same location before the one of 1606). The chapel of 1606 was demolished by order of the States General in 1649 (Catholicism could not be practiced openly)
The Old Tower (Oude Toren) of Oostelbeers, a church tower of the 14th century in a patch of forest surrounded by fields
The Old Church of Middelbeers (Het Oude Kerkje – Oude Sint-Willibrorduskerk) – intact gothic rural church (15th century) typical for the region
Maria Chapel (Mariakapel) of Westelbeers – chapel dating to 1637; it is unknown why this chapel was not demolished during the 1640s or 1650s like most other Catholic chapels in the region

Events

Among the festivals held in Oirschot every year are:

Zinderend Oirschot
Countery & Western weekend

Notable people

Arnold Fey, (Dutch Wiki) (born 1633 in Oirschot – 1679) a Dutch doctor.
Frans van Lith (born 1863 in Oirschot – 1926) a Jesuit priest in Central Java
Cornelius Van de Ven (1865 in Oirschot – 1932) Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
Carl Romme (1896 in Oirschot – 1980) a Dutch politician
Michiel van Kempen (born 1957 in Oirschot) a Dutch writer, art historian and literary critic
Anita Smits (born 1967 in Oirschot) a former archer who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Truus Smulders-Beliën (1902–1966), first female mayor in the Netherlands
Sophie van Gestel (born 1991 in Oostelbeers) a Dutch beach volleyball player, participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics