organisation
The municipality of Hilversum
Centrally located in the Netherlands, 30 kilometres east of Amsterdam and the international airport of Schiphol, Hilversum is the main city in the “Gooi en Vecht” area that is also known as the backyard of Amsterdam. Hilversum is a dynamic economic hub and the broadcast capital of the Netherlands. Thirty percent of the business in Hilversum is multimedia related. All the main national broadcasters (radio and television) have their head offices and studios in Hilversum. In addition, a number of other major players in the entertainment industry, such as Sony, Warner Media, Technicolor and RTL Group also have their (European) headquarters in Hilversum.
Hilversum has several state-of-the-art business parks. MediaPark is completely focused on the multimedia sector and is home to many Dutch and international multimedia companies. MediaPark can rightfully be described as the infrastructural backbone of the Dutch content hub. Besides media headquarters, Hilversum is also home to international companies such as NIKE (Europe Middle-East and Africa) and Vedior in the Arena Business Park.
Infrastructure
The digital infrastructure in Hilversum is highly organized: MediaGateway, located in MediaPark, offers multimedia companies state-of-the-art infrastructure and services. MediaGateway is an ultra-modern hosting facility for the distribution of audiovisual content over multiple channels. A project, which is to be launched in 2009, will take a fibreglass Internet connection into every household in Hilversum.
Hilversum is easily accessible car thanks to connections to two major highways. The travel time from and to Amsterdam and Schiphol is less than half an hour. The international and national railway connections are also excellent: Hilversum has a direct rail connection via the international train to Berlin and a train is leaves for Amsterdam and Utrecht Central station every 10 minutes.
Architecture
Hilversum is well known for its modern architecture: Willem Dudok and Johannes Duiker built their architectural masterpieces, such as Hilversum´s Town Hall and the Zonnestraal resort in the first half of the 20th century. A more recent addition to Hilversum’s architectural landscape was the spectacular Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Hilversum is also well known for its beautiful surroundings: an oasis of green in the densely urbanised Amsterdam area.
