Philips Museum Eindhoven: from light bulb factory to future design

The museum tells the Philips story where the company began. Around 17 October, design and healthcare connect past and future.

Museum Magazine · 17 October 2026

Low industrial building with tall chimney on Emmasingel. — The historic Philips factory on Emmasingel in 2008, before its present museum layout. Photo: Lempkesfabriek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; the file version later had exposure and contrast corrected. Lempkesfabriek / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source

On Eindhoven’s Emmasingel stands the old factory where Gerard Philips made his first light bulbs. The business began in 1891; today the Philips Museum uses this place to tell a much longer story. Its permanent display follows the development from electric light through radio, X-ray technology and television to the digital age and health technology.

Impact through Design looks back over a century of Philips Design. On view since 21 June, the exhibition moves among radios, household appliances and medical technology. In the Gallery of Needs, the museum links five human needs to concrete Philips solutions.

Historic workshop display with tables, equipment and glass objects. — The workshop display at the Philips Museum, photographed in 2025. Photo: S. Perquin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. S. Perquin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

The examples make that history tangible: from the radio nicknamed the Kapelletje and the Infraphil heat lamp to a smart toothbrush and equipment for minimally invasive care. Visitors can consider designs for tomorrow in the Design Lab.

The museum is also part of Dutch Design Week from 17 to 25 October. Its announced Care Envisioned display explores visions of healthcare’s future. Together with Care Felt at Area51 and Care Lived in the city, it forms the Soul & Science route. Philips says a free route map will be available at the museum.

Groups can explore the museum through Mission Eureka. According to the museum, this game is for two to four players aged eight and over. Eight challenges show, among other things, how LED light works and what X-rays do. It takes about an hour and is also available in English, German, French and Spanish; iPad rental is additional to admission.

The Philips Museum is at Emmasingel 31, about a ten-minute walk from Eindhoven Central Station. Regular Saturday hours are 11 am to 5 pm. The photographs show the building in 2008 and a displayed workshop in 2025, not the October 2026 design exhibitions.