Son en Breugel (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈsɔnɛmˈbrøːɣəl]ⓘ) is a municipality in the southern Netherlands just outside Eindhoven. The municipality covers an area of 26.51 km2 (10.24 sq mi) of which 0.56 km2 (0.22 sq mi) is water. It had a population of 17,552 in 2021. Son en Breugel used to be two different villages: 'Son' and 'Breugel', with the stream the Dommel separating the two villages. Son en Breugel also borders the following larger municipalities: Eindhoven, Meierijstad, Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten, and Best.
The spoken language is North Meierijs (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).[5]
Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Son en Breugel, June 2015
History
The villages of Son and Breugel were founded between the 12th and 14th centuries. The villages developed quickly; some 300 households (150 household for each village) occupied the two villages during the 15th century.
Both Son as well as Breugel were hit badly during the Eighty Years' War, and the number of households in the two villages shrank down to approximately 140 (which translates to approximately 600 - 800 inhabitants). However, both villages managed to recover from this setback.
During the reign of Napoleon, both villages were finally combined into one municipality. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the population stayed relatively stable at about 1,500 inhabitants. However, between 1910 and 1940 the population increased from 1,600 to 3,500 inhabitants when people started moving to the village for economic reasons. It was the scene of heavy fighting at the end of the Second World War, particularly during Operation Market Garden. From 1960 onwards, Son en Breugel continued to grow. As of August 2002, the number of inhabitants was estimated at 15,000.
Future
Currently, the number of households in Son en Breugel has reached 6,000. The combined village is expected to grow by about 3,000 households in the coming years, a growth of 50% (to be confirmed after a MER investigation as of March 2008), the result of which would prevent the municipality from being absorbed within the larger neighbouring municipality of Eindhoven.
Starting early 2009, a new neighbourhood will be developed within the combined village. This neighbourhood, called 'Sonniuspark', will contain 600 households and will be finished in 2013.
Politics
This municipality has a local council of 17 seats with the following distribution:
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