Welcome, fellow adventurers, to the Helmond City Tour! This Brabant city rarely makes the tourist postcards, but that is exactly why it is such a thrill to explore. Helmond received its city rights all the way back in 1232, and in 1314 Duke Jan III of Brabant handed its lordship to the van Berlaer family, who soon began raising a moated castle at the heart of town. Get ready to cross drawbridges, peek into hidden courtyards, and trace the story of a city that quietly powered Brabant's industrial revolution. By the nineteenth century Helmond had transformed into a booming factory town, earning the nickname 'Manchester of the Netherlands' for its wool and cotton mills. Chocolate makers, machine builders, and the still-thriving textile firm Vlisco all set up shop along its canal, the Zuid-Willemsvaart, turning barges full of raw wool and cacao beans into the lifeblood of the local economy. Today those same factory walls host theatres, cinemas, and galleries instead of looms and roasting drums. Walk with us from a medieval castle to a reborn cacao factory, answer a question at every stop, and collect the letters that spell out the word at the very heart of Helmond's story!

Kastelen, Cacao & Textiel

Helmond City Tour

8 stops · 150 min · 3.2 km

€ 14,99€ 9,99

Instant access after payment — you'll get a code by email and on screen to unlock the tour.