Almelo () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and a city in the eastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie, and Bornerbroek. Almelo has about 72,000 inhabitants in the middle of the rolling countryside of

Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...

, with the industrial centres of

Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...

and

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants dialect, Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the Twente region, in the province of Overijssel. It is part of a larger urban area that also includes Enschede, Borne, Overijssel, Borne, Almelo and Ol ...

as close neighbours but also with tourist towns like Ootmarsum, Delden and

Markelo Markelo (; ) is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Hof van Twente, about west of Hengelo and south-west of Almelo. Markelo was a separate municipality between 1818 and 2001, when it ...

only a bicycle ride away. Almelo 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 tradition ...

in 1394. Within the city limits lies the castle of the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s of Almelo. Located in the city centre is Huize Almelo, a castle that in its current form dates back to 1662 (This castle is not open to the public). There are

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

s which decorate the walls of the tunnel close to the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. The city is also known for its local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

, which plays in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

, the highest football league in the Netherlands. The club uses the Erve Asito.

History

At the end of the 19th century

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

emerged as a major employer and drew many workers to Almelo, at first from within the Netherlands. Since the 1960s workers from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

came to Almelo. The first

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

of the Netherlands was built in Almelo in 1976 for the Turkish population of the city. Almelo also has a sizeable number of Armenians who built their own

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

in 2003. In the 1970s the industry dwindled and most factories were relocated to countries with cheaper labour. Some factories remain in the city centre and are now in use for apartments or offices.

Topography

Economy

Currently, a major employer in Almelo is Urenco Nederland. This is a

uranium enrichment Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (23 ...

plant which uses the

gas centrifuge A gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centrifugal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radiu ...

method and produces

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

with about five percent

U-235 Uranium-235 ( or U-235) is an isotope of uranium making up about 0.72% of natural uranium. Unlike the predominant isotope uranium-238, it is fissile, i.e., it can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. It is the only fissile isotope that exists in nat ...

, for

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...

s. An industrial bakery, Bolletje,

Malvern Panalytical Malvern Panalytical is a Spectris plc company. The company is a manufacturer and supplier of laboratory analytical instruments. It has been influential in the development of the Malvern Correlator, and it remains notable for its work in the a ...

, the Stichting Ziekenhuisgroep Twente (a hospital) and the regional court are also major employers.

Demographics

As of 2020, Almelo has a total population of about 73,107. The city has a significant Turkish population.

Transport

Almelo has 2 railway stations: * Almelo railway station * Almelo de Riet railway station The main station is Almelo and offers links to

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, Gouda,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

and

Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...

. There is also a train every 2 hours into

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

serving cities such as

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Sport

Football

, a professional football club playing in the

is based in Almelo.

Cycling

Since 1983 Almelo has organised the Profronde van Almelo, an elite men's and women's professional

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

event.

Notable people

* Catharina Julia Roeters van Lennep (1813–1883) a Dutch artist *

Bertha Tideman-Wijers Albertha Wilhelmina Tideman-Wijers (8 January 1887 – 1 January 1976) was a Dutch composer who lived in Indonesia for almost two decades and incorporated Indonesian elements into her compositions. She published her music under the name Bertha Tide ...

(1887–1976) composer * Izaak Kolthoff (1894–1993) an analytical chemist and chemistry educator * Judith Ledeboer OBE (1901–1990) architect *

Evert Willem Beth Evert Willem Beth (7 July 1908 – 12 April 1964) was a Dutch philosopher and logician, whose work principally concerned the foundations of mathematics. He was a member of the Significs Group. Biography Beth was born in Almelo, a small to ...

(1908–1964) philosopher and logician * Gerritdina Benders-Letteboer (1909–1980) an active member of the

Dutch Resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

* Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014) a physicist and astronaut of the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

* Herman Finkers (born 1954) comedian, known for his friendly, dry-witted humour * Tom Egbers (born 1957) a Dutch English journalist, writer and TV presenter *

Liesbeth van Tongeren Liesbeth van Tongeren (born 31 March 1958 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch politician, and former civil servant and director of Greenpeace Netherlands (2003–2010). As a member of GroenLinks, she was a member of the House of Representatives from 17 ...

(born 1958) a Dutch politician, Director of Greenpeace Netherlands 2003–2010, grew up in Almelo *

Hero Brinkman Hero Brinkman (born 29 December 1964, in Almelo) is a police officer and former Netherlands, Dutch politician. He was a House of Representatives of the Netherlands, member of parliament from 30 November 2006 to 19 September 2012, after being ele ...

(born 1964) a police officer and former Dutch politician * Jos de Blok (born 1960) founder and CEO of Buurtzorg * Michiel Veenstra (born 1976) Radio-dj on

KINK KINK (101.9 FM also known as kink.fm) is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Alpha Media and it airs an adult album alternative radio format. KINK's studios and offices are on Southwest 5th Avenue in the PacWest C ...

* Ilse de Lange (born 1977) a Dutch country and pop rock singer-songwriter *

Loes Haverkort Loes Haverkort (born 19 January 1981) is a Dutch actress. She has performed in movies, television shows and theatre productions. Career Haverkort did her acting course at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has performed in the music ...

(born 1981) a Dutch movie, TV and theater actress * Azra Akın (born 1981) Miss Turkey World 2002 and

Miss World 2002 Miss World 2002, the 52nd edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 7 December 2002 at the Alexandra Palace in London, United Kingdom. It was initially intended to be staged in Abuja, but due to religious riots in the nearby city of Kadun ...

IMDb Database
retrieved 25 October 2019

Sports

* Kea Bouman (1903 – 1998) female tennis player; only Dutch female tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament *

Lex Mullink Alex Gerhard "Lex" Mullink (born 19 December 1944) is a retired Dutch rower who won a bronze medal in the coxed fours at the 1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport ...

(born 1944) a retired rower, bronze medallist at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

Hendrie Krüzen Hendrik "Hendrie" Krüzen (born 24 November 1964) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the assistant manager of Heracles Almelo. Club career Krüzen was born in Almelo, Overijssel. He made his senior debu ...

(born 1964) football midfielder, over 500 club caps * Brian van Loo (born 1975) retired soccer goalkeeper, 261 club caps *

Marnix Smit Marnix Smit (born 10 December 1975) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a centre back. He spent all of his professional career, which lasted ten years, with Heracles Almelo. Playing career Smit was born in Almelo and played youth foo ...

(born 1975) retired soccer player, 231 club caps with

* Arnold Bruggink (born 1977) retired soccer player, 447 club caps * Mark Looms (born 1981) soccer player, 329 club caps *

Kirsten Wild Kirsten Carlijn Wild (born 15 October 1982) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2021, for eight professional teams. During her track cycling career, Wild rode at the Summer Olympic Games in 2012 ...

(born 1982) track and road race cyclist; multiple National Champion * Marc Höcher (born 1984) a Dutch football player with over 350 club caps * Dennis Kuipers (born 1985) a Dutch rally driver * Anouk Dekker (born 1986) a Dutch footballer with over 250 club caps * Maret Balkestein-Grothues (born 1988) a Dutch volleyball player * Maud Roetgering (born 1992) a football defender 184 caps with FC Twente Vrouwen * Bent Viscaal (born 1999) a Dutch racing driver

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Almelo is twinned with:

Gallery

File:Sint Georgiuskerk Almelo.JPG, The Catholic St. Georgius church in Almelo File:Almelo - Sculptuur op de hoek van de Oranjestraat en de Molenstraat - 1.jpg, Almelo - Sculptuur op de hoek van de Oranjestraat en de Molenstraat File:Huize Almelo.jpg, Huize Almelo File:Almelo, spoorviadukt bij de Wierdensestraat foto2 2012-09-10 13.01.jpg, Almelo, spoorviadukt bij de Wierdensestraat File:Afbeelding 403Aadorp22-12-2007.jpg, Afbeelding File:Almelo, sculptuur van een vogel bij het Marktplein IMG 5768 2020-05-31 13.14.jpg, Bird sculpture by artist Anne Wenzel at the Marktplein File:Almelo, restaurant in voormalige fabriek IMG 5759 2020-05-31 13.00.jpg, Restaurant in former factory File:Almelo, het Twentekanaal (zijkanaal naar Almelo) vanaf de Wierdensebrug IMG 5748 2020-05-31 12.37.jpg, Twentekanaal (branch to Almelo)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Overijssel Populated places in Overijssel Twente