In the 1920s, Philips struggled with a growing demand for light bulbs and the start-up of the production of radios, which resulted in a shortage of personnel. The company therefore had to look elsewhere in the country for workers.
Philips’ attention focused on the Drenthe peat area, where there was great poverty due to the collapse of the peat industry. Extension workers were sent to the region with the aim of recruiting families with at least three daughters over the age of fourteen – potential employees. The girls were mainly employed in unskilled fine handicrafts and left the factory as soon as they got married.
The arrival of the first group of seventy families from Drenthe in Eindhoven in 1925 attracted the attention of hundreds of curious people, who wanted to see the newcomers with their own eyes. During the twenties and thirties, a total of about 554 families with an average of 8.1 children moved from Drenthe to Eindhoven. They were housed in a new neighborhood in Strijp, nicknamed Drents Dorp. This district included about 1000 homes and also included Strijp-R.
On the roundabout between the Zwaanstraat and the Halve Maanstraat, the artwork ‘the Drentslamp’ was recently unveiled. Under the direction of visual artist Ed van Gennip, a large Philips light bulb was made, surrounded by a sash depicting the characteristic houses of the district. A family, consisting of a man, woman and children, leans against the lamp.
Would you like to know more about the Drents Dorp and the history of Philips? Then book our Philips Heritage tour.
