Drenthe () is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by
Overijssel
Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of U ...
to the south,
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
to the west,
Groningen to the north, and the German state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
to the east. As of November 2019, Drenthe had a population of 493,449
and a total area of .
Drenthe has been populated for 15,000 years. The region has subsequently been part of the
Episcopal principality of Utrecht,
Habsburg Netherlands,
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...
,
Batavian Republic,
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland ( nl, Holland (contemporary), (modern); french: Royaume de Hollande) was created by Napoleon Bonaparte, overthrowing the Batavian Republic in March 1806 in order to better control the Netherlands. Since becoming Empero ...
and
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
. Drenthe has been an official province since 1796. The capital and seat of the provincial government is
Assen. The
King's Commissioner of Drenthe is
Jetta Klijnsma. The
Labour Party (PvdA) is the largest party in the
States-Provincial
The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...
, followed by the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party i ...
(VVD) and the
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).
Drenthe is a sparsely populated rural area, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands; except for the small cities of
Assen (pop. 67,963) and
Emmen (pop. 107,113), the land in Drenthe is mainly used for
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
and it has a notable amount of
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s and nature.
History
The name Drenthe is said to stem from ''thrija-hantja'' meaning "three lands".
Drenthe has been populated by people since prehistory. Artifacts from the
Wolstonian Stage
The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the Eemian Stage in Europe and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles.
It is also appr ...
(150,000 years ago) are among the oldest found in the Netherlands. In fact, it was one of the most densely populated areas of the Netherlands until the Bronze Age. The most tangible evidence of this are the
dolmens (''
hunebedden'') built around 3500 BC. 53 of the 54 dolmens in the Netherlands can be found in Drenthe, concentrated in the northeast of the province. In 2006, the archaeological reserve of
Strubben-Kniphorstbos, located between
Anloo and
Schipborg
Schipborg is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, and lies about 11 km northeast of Assen.
The village was first mentioned between 1298 and 1304 as Borc, and is a combination of a tree ( ...
, was created to preserve part of this heritage.
Drenthe was first mentioned in a document from 820, it was called ''Pago Treanth'' (Drenthe district). In archives from ''Het Utrechts Archief'', from 1024 to 1025, the "county Drenthe" is mentioned, when Emperor
Henry II gave it to Bishop
Adalbold II of Utrecht.
After long being subject to the
Utrecht diocese, Bishop
Henry of Wittelsbach in 1528 ceded Drenthe to Emperor
Charles V of Habsburg, who incorporated it into the
Habsburg Netherlands. When the
Republic of the Seven United Provinces
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...
was declared in 1581, Drenthe became part of it as the
County of Drenthe, although it never gained full provincial status due to its poverty; the province was so poor it was exempt from paying federal taxes and as a consequence was denied representation in the States General. The successor
Batavian Republic granted it provincial status on 1 January 1796.
Shortly before the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the Dutch government built a camp near the town of
Hooghalen
Hooghalen is a villageBijhouwer J.T.P. (1977). "The Dutch Landscape." Amsterdam: Cosmos. in the municipality Midden-Drenthe, in the Dutch province Drenthe. In Drenthe it is also called '' Hoal'n '' or '' Hoalen '', but then people often mean the ...
to intern German Jewish refugees. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the German occupiers used the camp (which they named
KZ Westerbork) as a ''
Durchgangslager'' (transit camp). Many Dutch Jews,
Sinti,
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
* Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
, resistance combatants and political adversaries were imprisoned before being transferred to
concentration
In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', '' molar concentration'', ''number concentration'', ...
and
extermination camp
Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
s in Germany and occupied Poland.
Anne Frank was deported on the last train leaving the Westerbork transit camp on 3 September 1944.
In the 1970s, there were four
hostage crises
A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...
where
South Moluccan terrorists demanded an independent
Republic of South Maluku. They held hostages in hijacked trains in 1975 and 1977,
[ Marnix Koolhaas]
Herdenking Molukse treinkaping 1977
''Geschiedenis 24'', 2007. Retrieved on 8 April 2014. in a
primary school in 1977,
and in the
province hall in 1978.
Geography
Drenthe is situated at in the northeast of the Netherlands; with to the north the province
Groningen, to the west the province
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
, to the south the province
Overijssel
Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of U ...
, and to the east the German districts
Emsland and
Bentheim in the state
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
.
Drenthe is the
9th largest province of the Netherlands. It has a total area of , with of land and of water. About 72% of the land or is used for agriculture.
[Bodemgebruik; uitgebreide gebruiksvorm, per gemeente]
Statistics Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands, founded in 1899, is a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands. In Dutch it is known as the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (''Central Agency for Statistics''), often ...
, 2013. Retrieved on 14 April 2014.
Drenthe has several
heathlands and no significant rivers or lakes. The national parks
Drents-Friese Wold and
Dwingelderveld (
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
category II) and the national landscape
Drentsche Aa (IUCN category V) are all (partially) located in the province.
The major urban centers of the province are the capital
Assen in the north and
Emmen,
Meppel,
Hoogeveen, and
Coevorden in the south.
Subdivisions
The province (
Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or NUTS level 2) is divided into three
COROP regions (NUTS level 3): North Drenthe, Southeast Drenthe, and Southwest Drenthe. The COROP regions are used for statistical purposes.
The Netherlands has been subject to a large amount of municipal
mergers during the last decades. Drenthe is no exception; the largest concurrent merger happened in 1998, when 32 municipalities were amalgamated into 10 larger municipalities. Drenthe consists of 12
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
;
Emmen is the largest municipality in terms of both population and area,
Westerveld is the least populous and
Meppel covers the smallest area.
The municipalities
Assen,
Noordenveld, and
Tynaarlo are part of the interprovincial Groningen-Assen Region and the municipalities
Aa en Hunze
Aa en Hunze () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.
The names 'Aa' (more precisely the ' Drentsche Aa') and 'Hunze' refer to two small rivers through the municipality.
Population centres
Long place names
The very small hamlets ' ...
, Assen,
Borger-Odoorn,
Coevorden, Emmen,
Midden-Drenthe
Midden-Drenthe () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. The municipality was created in 1998, in a merger of the former municipalities of Beilen, Smilde, and Westerbork. Between 1998 and 2000, the name of the municipality was Middenv ...
, Noordenveld, and Westerveld are part of the international
Ems Dollart Region (EDR).
Climate
Drenthe has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: Cfb).
Demographics
On 1 January 2014, Drenthe had a total population of 488,957 and a population density of .
[Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand]
Statistics Netherlands
Statistics Netherlands, founded in 1899, is a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands. In Dutch it is known as the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (''Central Agency for Statistics''), often ...
, 2017. Retrieved on 13 February 2017. It is the
3rd least populous and least densely populated province of the Netherlands, with only
Flevoland and
Zeeland having fewer people.
Emmen is the most populous municipality in the province.
Religion
Economy
Agriculture is an important employer, although industrial areas are found near the cities. The quietness of the province is also attracting a growing number of tourists.
Drenthe is known as the "Cycling Province" of the Netherlands and is an exceptional place for a cycling holiday, having hundreds of kilometers of cycle paths through forest, heath and along canals and many towns and villages offering refreshment along the way. Drenthe exports through the entire
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and also receives supplies and goods from Germany, making it a good business district. Many Dutch and German
multinational companies are settled in Drenthe.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 15.1 billion € in 2018, accounting for 1.9% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,700 € or 89% of the EU27 average in the same year.
Culture
Language
Over half the population of Drenthe speaks the
Drents dialect. Each town or village has its own version. All versions are part of the
Low Saxon
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of ...
language group. Dutch Low Saxon has been officially recognised by the Dutch government as a regional language and is protected by the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, th ...
.
Sports
FC Emmen
FC Emmen is a Dutch football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2021–22 Eerste Divisie title. Founded in 1925, the club entered the professional Eerste Divisie in 1985. ...
is the only professional football club in Drenthe. It plays in the
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is ...
and its home stadium is
De Oude Meerdijk.
The
Ronde van Drenthe
Ronde van Drenthe ( en, Tour of Drenthe) is an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Drenthe, Netherlands and sanctioned by the Royal Dutch Cycling Union. Since 1998 there is also a women's event, ...
is an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle race that takes place annually in early March.
The
TT Circuit Assen hosts the
Dutch TT, which is a round of the
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
series of the Motorcycle Road Racing World Championship.
Museums
Drents Museum is an
art and
history museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...
in Assen. It had 227,000 visitors in 2013.
Museum Collectie Brands is a
local museum located in
Nieuw-Dordrecht that houses an extensive collection of rare and curious items collected by Jans Brands.
Politics
The
States of Drenthe have 41 seats, and is headed by the
King's Commissioner, currently
Jetta Klijnsma. While the provincial council is elected by the people of Drenthe, the Commissioner is appointed by the King and the cabinet of the Netherlands. With 12 seats, the social democratic
PvdA is the largest party in the council. The daily affairs of the province are taken care of by the ''
Gedeputeerde Staten
The provincial executive (, GS) is the executive branch of government of a province in the Netherlands. It is the equivalent of the municipal executive at the provincial level. The provincial executive consists of the King's Commissioner (cha ...
'', which are also headed by the Commissioner; its members (''gedeputeerden'') can be compared with ministers.
Transportation
The motorways
A28 (
E232),
A32,
A37 (
E233), and the other major roads N33,
N34, and
N48 are maintained by the state.
[Wegenoverzicht]
, Rijkswaterstaat. Retrieved on 2 April 2014.
There are four railways partially in the province of Drenthe:
Groningen Airport Eelde
Groningen Airport Eelde is a minor international airport in the northeastern Netherlands. It is located near Eelde in the Province of Drenthe, south of the city of Groningen in the province of Groningen. In 2015, the airport handled 220,710 p ...
is a minor
international airport located in
Eelde
Eelde () is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Tynaarlo, and lies about 9 km south of Groningen. Groningen Airport Eelde is located near the village.
Eelde was a separate municipality until 1998, wh ...
in the province of Drenthe.
Hoogeveen Airport is a
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
airport located in
Hoogeveen.
Science and education
ASTRON Astron may refer to:
* Mitsubishi Astron engine
* ASTRON, the Dutch foundation for astronomy research, operating the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and LOFAR
* Astron (comics), a fictional character, a member of the Marvel Comics group The E ...
, the Netherlands institute for
radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation comin ...
, is located near
Dwingeloo
Dwingeloo () is a village halfway between Meppel and Assen in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld.
The village is known internationally because of the radio telescope of the Dwingeloo Radio Observatory ( ...
. Their single-dish
radio telescope of the
Dwingeloo Radio Observatory
The Dwingeloo Radio Observatory is a single-dish radio telescope near the village of Dwingeloo () in the northeastern Netherlands. Construction started in 1954, and the telescope was completed in 1956. The radio telescope has a diameter of 25&nbs ...
was completed in 1956 and is now a national heritage site (''
rijksmonument''). Their
Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope is an array of fourteen dishes near the village of
Westerbork
Camp Westerbork ( nl, Kamp Westerbork, german: Durchgangslager Westerbork, Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk'' ), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, d ...
and construction was completed in 1970. Their international
Low-Frequency Array
The Low-Frequency Array, or LOFAR, is a large radio telescope, with an antenna network located mainly in the Netherlands, and spreading across 7 other European countries as of 2019. Originally designed and built by ASTRON, the Netherlands Institu ...
with its core near
Exloo was completed in 2012.
In Assen, Emmen, and Meppel are universities of applied sciences (''
hogescholen''). The
Stenden University of Applied Sciences has locations in these three towns, which formed the
Drenthe University of Applied Sciences before a merger in 2008. The
Hanze Institute of Technology The Institute of Engineering Assen is part of the Hanze University Groningen in the Netherlands. The institute is based in Assen where it offers a Bachelor Programme in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and a Master Programme in Sensor System ...
, part of the
Hanze University of Applied Sciences, is located in Assen. There are no research universities (''universiteiten'') in the province of Drenthe.
Media
RTV Drenthe, the regional radio and television station, is based in Assen. The regional daily newspaper for the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen is ''
Dagblad van het Noorden'', which is based in the city of
Groningen.
References
External links
Portal Drenthe official website
*
{{Authority control
NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union
Provinces of the Netherlands