Centraal

Centraal is a Dutch adjective meaning central or pertaining to the center. It is used in everyday language to describe things that are at or near the center, as well as in names of places, institutions, and facilities. The word derives from centrum, with the adjectival ending -aal.

In Dutch-speaking areas, centraal is frequently found in proper nouns that denote central hubs or main institutions. Examples include Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, and Rotterdam Centraal, which are the main railway stations of those cities, as well as Antwerpen-Centraal in Belgium and Brussel-Centraal in Dutch signage for Brussels Central Station. The term also appears in institutional names such as Centraal Planbureau (the Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis), Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Statistics Netherlands), and Centraal Museum (the city museum in Utrecht).

Usage notes: in official names centraal is capitalized as part of the proper noun (for instance Centraal Planbureau, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek). In ordinary descriptive use, the word remains lowercase, e.g., een centraal punt or een centraal gelegen locatie.

Overall, centraal serves as a versatile marker of centrality in geography, governance, and culture within the Dutch-speaking world, reflecting both physical centrality and central importance in organizational structures.