| Valkenswaard | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Flag Size: | 100x67px |
| Map Alt: | Highlighted position of Valkenswaard in a municipal map of North Brabant |
| Coordinates: | 51.35°N 33°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Brabant |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Governing Body: | Municipal council |
| Leader Party: | CDA |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Anton Ederveen |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Elevation M: | 25 |
| Population Demonym: | Valkenswaarder / Valkenswaardenaar |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
| Postal Code: | 5550–5556 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 040 |
Valkenswaard (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˌvɑlkə(n)sˈʋaːrt/) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of in, with an area of NaNValkenswaard}} of which NaNValkenswaard}} is water.
The name Valkenswaard stems from its history of falconers, who caught wild falcons there; valk is Dutch for "falcon". It lay on a route where falcons migrated south each year. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Valkenswaardian falconers were active at many European courts, in which falconing was a beloved pastime. Valkenswaard's falcon-catching area has now been built over and falcons are no longer caught there.
In the 19th and 20th century, a number of large cigar factories were founded in Valkenswaard, the two most renowned of which being Willem II and Hofnar.
A Second World War cemetery containing 220 British soldiers was created near Valkenswaard in October 1944. It is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The spoken language is Kempenlands (an East Brabantian dialect, which is very similar to colloquial Dutch).[3]
The Eurocircuit Valkenswaard is a motorsport racetrack that has hosted the European Rallycross Championship and the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Map of the municipality of Valkenswaard, June 2015
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