The university was founded in 1927 by Martinus Cobbenhagen as a Roman Catholic Trade College. In 1936 it was renamed Katholieke Economische Hogeschool,
 in 1963 – when the faculties of Law and Social Sciences were founded – Katholieke Hogeschool Tilburg (KHT). The university’s central main building is now known as the Cobbenhagen Building. 

It was not until the mid-1980s that faculties and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands were allowed to call themselves universities. At that time, the (specialist) universities of applied sciences were also to bear the name of the university according to an amendment to the law. For this reason, the Katholieke Hogeschool Tilburg (KHT) was forced to change its name again in 1986. Because Tilburg University would lead to an undesirable abbreviation (KUT), it became the Catholic University of Brabant (KUB). 

The name history runs like a thread through the history of the university and has already led to hilarity in how Tilburg University was perceived. As a result, the name was seen as a compromise. In 2001, the name was changed again, in Tilburg University (UvT). The city name returned; the adjective ‘catholic’ could be found in the subtitle inspired by the catholic tradition. In 2010 it was again decided by the Executive Board of the University to use the international name Tilburg University as the official name with the subtitle Understanding Society.

In the seed of its genesis lies the mutual rivalry between the great Brabant Municipalities of the so-called “Brabant Cities Row”. Tilburg stems from a history as a textile city, Eindhoven as a city of technology with a rich history as the seat of Philips. The history of Eindhoven as an industrial city and technology also played a role in the establishment of a Technical University and Design Academy in Eindhoven. Tilburg developed from the strong representation of brothers into a Catholic city of education, which laid the foundation for the still high number of study programmes in Tilburg. The third city in the row of cities is Breda, and Breda has acquired a pallet of courses of its own character. In the past year a lot of integration in education has taken place through mergers of study programmes. Nevertheless, Tilburg presents itself strongly as a student city.

Apart from the struggle over the name, the University has a good international score in both Economics and International Law and attracts many international students to Tilburg. In addition, Tilburg University has a beautiful green campus and the university campus has grown strongly. In addition, the campus is located next to the Oude Warande Park, which is one of the oldest preserved ‘sterren bosch’

On 28 April 1969 the then Catholic University College was occupied by students who wanted changes in education and in the management of the university. The occupation lasted until 6 May and was the first in the Netherlands, followed a few weeks later by the Maagdenhuis occupation in Amsterdam. Although the curatorium decided to close down the university in response, academic life did not come to a complete standstill in Tilburg: the promotion of J.L. Stassen (‘about democracy’) on May 1 continued, but took place in the city’s Palace Council Hall.

Already some months before the occupation, members of the “Left Front” had put the name “Karl Marx University” above the entrance. They wanted more attention to be paid to Marxist economics in economics education. Actions such as these were at the cradle of far-reaching changes in higher education in the Netherlands, leading, among other things, to the University Management Reform Act of 1971. In this Act, student participation was firmly anchored. Incidentally, this position weakened again in the 1990s, when a new law (the ‘MUB’) significantly reduced the powers of students.

More about this history. 

For more information please check yourself, here the elaborate website of Tilburg University.

From Bed and Breakfast Tilburg, you can easily reach the Tilburg University by as well by public transport, as by bicycle ride along the special cross-town bicycle track straight to the Univesity campus.

In these blog posts, we’ll tell you about what’s special or striking about Tilburg. From fun facts to nice information for the curious visitor. Feel free to read on some others.