Emmen, Netherlands

Emmen
Municipality

Emmen

Flag
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Emmen in a municipal map of Drenthe
Location in Drenthe
Coordinates: 52°47′N 6°54′E / 52.783°N 6.900°E / 52.783; 6.900Coordinates: 52°47′N 6°54′E / 52.783°N 6.900°E / 52.783; 6.900
Country Netherlands
Province Drenthe
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Cees Bijl (PvdA)
Area[2]
 • Total 346.25 km2 (133.69 sq mi)
 • Land 336.40 km2 (129.88 sq mi)
 • Water 9.85 km2 (3.80 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 23 m (75 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
 • Total 107,943
 • Density 321/km2 (830/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Emmenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode Parts of 7700 and 7800 range
Area code 0524, 0591
Website www.emmen.nl

Emmen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛmən]) is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.

History

Emmen landscape
Emmen, church: Grote of Pancratiuskerk

A prime example of a planned city, Emmen arose from several small farming and peat-harvesting communities which have dotted the province of Drenthe since the Middle Ages. Traces of these communities can still be seen in the form of the villages of Westenesch, Noordbarge and Zuidbarge: they have a separate history and layout, but are surrounded by the suburbs and the centre of Emmen.

The expansion of the town did not happen until after the Second World War. Suburbs were built around the old centre of Emmen, starting with Emmermeer directly to the north, and followed to the south-east by Angelslo (for which an old village of the same name was demolished), Emmerhout (famed at the time for being separate from the town by an existing forest) to the east, Bargeres, the Rietlanden and Parc Sandur to the south and south-west. Construction of the last suburb, called Delftlanden, is already well underway with a large number of homes already built and people living in the area.

There are few historic landmarks left within the town, but those few include the church on the market square, where a church has been standing since the Middle Ages, the court of law building, dating from the beginning of the twentieth century and the post office from the same time. In the town's environs an earthwork by Robert Smithson, "Broken Circle/Spiral Hill," may be found.

The prime economic booster since the 1980s has been the zoo, the Dierenpark Emmen. Begun in the 1930s, it was almost completely redesigned in the 1970s, and is now co-owned by the municipality of Emmen. It attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year. Important industries include Teijin Aramid, DSM Engineering Plastics, Wellman and Diolen Industrial Fibers. There are extensive glasshouse complexes for horticulture, especially in the Klazienaveen-Erica area. The municipality offers some 38,000 jobs.

Emmen is the second most populous urban area of Drenthe. The municipality of Emmen is one of the largest in area in the Netherlands, although the area outside the town borders of Emmen is rather rural. The only villages of importance are Emmer-Compascuum, Klazienaveen, Nieuw-Amsterdam and Schoonebeek.

Geography

Dutch Topographic map of Emmen (town), March 2014

The population centres:

Demography

The municipality of Emmen has some 104,000 inhabitants, with 56,000 living in the town Emmen. Compared to some 3,000 inhabitants in the nineteenth century, this illustrates the rapid growth of Emmen in the past 150 years.

Sport

The town's football club FC Emmen plays their home games in JenS Vesting. They play in the Eerste Divisie.

Every year a big cycle racing criterium called Gouden Pijl, where all the big names in bicycle sport come to Emmen for this event. Besides the bicycle race itself the Gouden Pijl also includes cultural events like pop-concerts etc. In 2008 the comeback concert of The Schizo's, the infamous local punk-band from the 1980s, was organized during the Gouden Pijl.

Transportation

Emmen is served by one train connection with Zwolle, which in turn leads to the rest of the country.

In addition, there are regular and frequent bus lines with Groningen, Hoogeveen and Assen, as well as the surrounding countryside, and Meppen in Germany, departing from Emmen's two bus terminals.

By car, the town is accessible via the N34 from Zwolle to Groningen, the N381 to Drachten, the N391 to Veendam and the A37 from Hoogeveen to Meppen in Germany.

The nearest airport is Groningen Airport Eelde at a distance of 50 kilometers.

Furthermore, there are inland shipping connections via Nieuw-Amsterdam to Coevorden, Hoogeveen and Almelo.

References

  1. ↑ "Het college van burgemeester en wethouders" [The board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Emmen. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Postcodetool for 7811AP". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.stationsweb.nl/station.asp?station=emmenzuid
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emmen.
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Coevorden Haren (DE-NI)
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