Genemuiden is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in the north western part of the Province of Overijssel. It received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1275, which is also the first time Genemuiden gets mentioned in history.Frits David Zeiler (2007) ''Genemuiden, een zorgenkind van de bisschop'' in: Overijsselse Historische Bijdragen 122e stuk p.66-6
Online
It stayed independent up until 2001 when, despite fierce opposition of its inhabitants, it was forced to merge with the smaller, neighbouring villages of Zwartsluis and

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as i ...

to form the municipality of

Zwartewaterland Zwartewaterland () is a municipality in the province Overijssel in the eastern Netherlands. Geography This mainly rural municipality lies south of Steenwijkerland on the ''Zwarte Water'' (Black Water). This is a short tributary of the river IJ ...

. The town itself doesn't have any buildings over 150 years old as two fires destroyed the town completely in 1866. These fires could not be controlled due to the great number of hay stacks in one street, 'de Achterweg' or 'Nachtweg'. This street still holds a non smoking sign, which is unique for a street in Europe. Since the 18th century, the people from Genemuiden have been producing floor mats made of the

bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **'' Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **'' Scirpoides'' **'' Isolepis'' **'' Schoenoplectus'' **'' Trichophorum'' * T ...

that grows on the shores of the

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an ov ...

. When the quality of the bulrush deteriorated in the 20th century, due to the change from salt water to fresh water (see

), the industry switched over to using

coir Coir (), also called coconut fibre, is a natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell an ...

imported from India to produce mats and carpets. In the sixties the first tufting machines were imported and currently Genemuiden is one of Europe's main production centres of tufted

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester ...

and artificial grass. Genemuiden is a Protestant

stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

, having five Reformed Protestant denominations and no Roman Catholic church. It's on the north-eastern tip of the so-called Dutch

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...

References

External links

Official Website
(Dutch)
Website Tapijt Museum / Carpet Museum Genemuiden
(Dutch)
News from Genemuiden
(Dutch)
Pictures of Genemuiden
(Dutch) {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2001 Populated places in Overijssel Former municipalities of Overijssel Zwartewaterland