Right in front of you stands the mighty Lichttoren - the Light Tower - with its striking seven-sided, white façade. It's the kind of building you’d expect to house superhero headquarters, but in Eindhoven, the real heroes were the lightbulbs! Designed in a bold, functionalist style with some expressive twists by architects at TABROS, this tower started shining back in 1909 when the west wing was built, and by 1911, it was bustling with the hum of the Philips Lighting Factory. Imagine walking by at night a century ago: the top floor would be alive with lamp endurance tests, their glowing bulbs casting an otherworldly light visible for miles around. No wonder locals nicknamed it the ‘Lichttoren’-it was impossible to miss!
Later, it transformed from a factory floor into the headquarters of Philips’ lighting division. It even got its own secret agent jargon-ED for the east, EC for the west. These days, instead of engineers and inventors, you’ll find residents, creative offices, and some of Eindhoven’s favorite café-restaurants on the ground floor. Since 2009, the tower has a high-tech look: super-efficient LED lighting keeps it glowing with modern flair. Right next door, its bright neighbor: the sleek Witte Dame. So yes, the Light Tower always finds a way to shine!
