Revolution Rising

The Klokgebouw is a large event venue in Eindhoven, set inside a building with a clear industrial past. It was completed in 1928 as a Philips factory, where the company originally produced Philite, a name for Bakelite used in various technical applications. Later the site turned out radios and other electronic equipment. Once that industrial use ended, the building was given a second life as a place for events, and it now carries the status of a national monument. That origin gives the venue its character. Rather than a purpose built concert hall, the Klokgebouw is a former factory floor adapted for gatherings, and the sources describe it as a temporary event space that pushed the nightlife of Eindhoven to a new level. It has hosted over 90 events, which points to how often the city's organisers have turned to it when they need a big, flexible room. Its listings on concert databases show it has also staged live music, with a concert history that fans and archivists continue to document. The building also plays a part in the city's design culture. It is a stop on guided tours run by the Dutch Design Foundation, which fits a place where the architecture of Eindhoven's manufacturing era is still easy to read. For visitors, the appeal lies in seeing an early twentieth century Philips industrial structure that has been kept and reused rather than demolished, so a night out there happens inside a piece of the city's working history.