Mierlo

History

The oldest inhabitants of the area that we have any knowledge of were the reindeer hunters. In 1961, a piece of sandstone, dated at around 9,000B.C. was discovered on the heath between Mierlo and Geldrop. On this stone a half-naked dancing female figure was etched, which is now known as the 'Venus of Mierlo.' It is the oldest artistic expression ever found in the Netherlands. The village was first mentioned in 1245 as Henricus de Mirle, and is a combination of the words for moorland and open forest. Mierlo developed in the 12th century near a castle. The castle was rebuilt in 1210 after it was destroyed, and collapsed in a storm in 1800. The Catholic St. Lucia Church was built between 1856 and 1858. Part of the tower of the medieval church was incorporated in the new church. Mierlo was home to 466 people in 1840. Mierlo was an independent municipality. In 1968, the village Mierlo-Hout was transferred to Helmond. In 2003 when it was merged into Geldrop-Mierlo. In 2004, Mierlo acquired a zoo named 'Eindhoven Zoo' near the Gulbergen. This zoo initially began under the name 'Dierenrijk Europa,' featuring animals ranging from polar bears to apes from Gibraltar, as well as beavers that had been reintroduced in the Netherlands. When non-European animals, such as elephants and camels, were also introduced, the name was changed to 'Dierenrijk' and later 'Eindhoven Zoo'.

Most-observed species

• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,155
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  18,152
• European Stonechat

  Saxicola rubicola (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,692
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15,536
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15,478
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  15,240
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,937
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,551

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2021-01-02
  5 km ENE of Eynatten, Belgium
• M 2.9 — 2018-05-25
  1 km S of Reppel, Belgium
• M 2.9 — 2013-01-20
  0 km WNW of Brachterbeek, Netherlands
• M 4.2 — 2011-09-08
  3 km ENE of Heijen, Netherlands
• M 4.1 — 2009-07-24
  2 km NW of Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
• M 3.2 — 2008-12-25
  6 km ESE of Rheinberg, Germany