Its history, however, goes back eight centuries, to the distant year 1232 when city rights were granted to the small settlement of Endehoven on the confluence of two streams, the Dommel and the Gender. Its name literally means 'end yards', reflecting its relation with the then-large and prosperous neighbouring village of Woensel (today part of Eindhoven).

Endehoven lied conveniently on the trade route between Holland and Liege. It grew gradually, its fortifications were strengthened and a new castle was built. Disaster struck in 1486 when troops from the province of Gelderland plundered it and burned it down. The city was reconstructed but in 1554 another great fire reduced 75% of it to ashes. Again the city was rebuilt with the support of William I of Orange but Spanish troops captured it in 1583 and demolished the city walls. Only in 1629 did Eindhoven become part of the Netherlands and grew rapidly with the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century. Railroads, roads and canals were built, tobacco and textile industries flourished, but it was the establishment of the Philips factory in 1891 that permanently determined the city's industrial future. The early 20th Century saw the establishment of another large manufacturer, Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek (DAF), while the traditional textiles and tobacco industries gradually waned and electronics and engineering assumed the leading role. Today, Philips has attracted or spun off a number of high-tech companies, and technology and ICT account for a quarter of the jobs in the area. The Eindhoven University of Technology provides qualified young work force for these booming sectors.

Much of the city was flattened during World War II, and the subsequent reconstruction focused on utility and functionality rather than on the preservation of any historical heritage. There are a few interesting modern buildings such as the Van Abbemuseum and the Evoluon. Van Abbemuseum covers a period of about 100 years and owns about 2700 works of modern art, including paintings, sculptures and installations, by artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Marc Manders, Juan Munoz, Thomas Schutte, Rene Daniels, Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, Richard Long, and Lawrence Weiner. The museum includes a restaurant and a library, as well as a small shop where you can buy books, magazines, posters and postcards. The Evoluon by architect L. Ch. Kalff used to be a science museum but is currently used as a conference center.