Backgrounds

For a long time, Hilversum was a small, simple sheep village where little happened. There was not much contact with the outside world. But various events ensured that Hilversum grew into the media city it is today. How that came about is something we will go through in a nutshell in this story.

In 2024, Hilversum will celebrate its 600th anniversary and the city will sparkle like never before! But, whoa. Wait a minute: what happened 600 years ago? City or village, what is the situation? Who were the Erfgooiers anyway? And was there no Hilversum at all before then? To get you excited about our city, which is about to celebrate its birthday, we will take you in a series of articles to the Hilversum of yesterday, today and the future.

On the coat of arms of Hilversum you see four buckwheat grains of gold on a blue field. Bright and pure. That sounds better than 'quite simple and little saying', doesn't it.

Katja Andringa and Henri Ten Brinke help people who need help finding the right care. Katja and Henri think along and help their clients with important appointments if necessary. They are independent client supporters of the MEE foundation.

A special discovery: police records of Hilversum prisoners from the Second World War. Hilversum residents were fined for, for example, stealing a bicycle, illegally slaughtering a cow or helping Jewish people go into hiding. And you can view those registers now! Recently researched archive documents also showed how much the Hilversum airport was of strategic importance to the occupying forces.

Every Hilversummer recognizes a Dudok immediately. Or not? The architect not only fascinated with his designs, he also inspired. That is why in many places there are buildings that resemble a design by Willem Dudok, but were actually conceived by someone else. There are also a number in Hilversum. We spotted four.

Hilversum was on fire several times. The worst Hilversum fire ever was in 1766: a third of the village went up in flames. October is 'Month of History' with the theme 'disasters'. We are happy to tell you the story of the fire disaster in Hilversum below. Would you like to tell something about the past, the good old or bad days? The Regional Archive has a digital platform and is eager for your anecdote.

Where do you walk when you walk the dog? Guess: on the Hoorneboegse heide. We get it. Brilliant there. Did you know this too? You walk there - with or without a dog - over ancient raatakkers.

On Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October you can take a look at the studios at the Hilversum Media Park during the Xperiencedays. Look for the entire program on dutchmediaweek.nl! To get you in the mood, we tell you the story behind the six villas of the VPRO.