The Kop van Overijssel (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''Head of Overijssel'') is a region in the very northwestern part of the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...

. It consists of the municipality of

Steenwijkerland Steenwijkerland (; or ) is a municipality in the province of Overijssel, in the eastern Netherlands. Prior to a name change in 2003, it was known as Steenwijk. The municipality forms the entire northwesterly corner of the province. This area is ...

and matches the historical region of the Land van Vollenhove. In past times it comprised a wider area, the municipalities of Kampen,

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 IJs ...

and

Staphorst Staphorst () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. History The villages of Staphorst and its southern neighbour Rouveen came into existence as in the 13th century monks started to bring the bogs and swamps into culture. All ...

also belonging to it. The Kop van Overijssel has about 43,000 inhabitants and an area of about 322 km², of which a tenth is water. The 'capital' is

Steenwijk Steenwijk (; or ), datedly known in English as Stenwick, is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland. It is the largest town of the municipality. Steenwijk received city rights in 1327. I ...

. Other noteworthy places are

Blokzijl Blokzijl is a small city located southwest of Steenwijk in the province of Overijssel, the Netherlands. The city is a major tourist destination near the De Weerribben-Wieden National Park and attracts many water sports enthusiasts. Blokzijl was ...

Giethoorn Giethoorn () is a village in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, Netherlands, with a population of 2,795 in 2020. It is located in the List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Steenwijkerland, about south ...

(a '

Venice of the North The following is a list of settlements nicknamed Venice of the North. The term ''Venice of the North'' refers to various cities in Northern Europe that contain canals, comparing them to Venice, Italy, which is renowned for its canals, such as the ...

') and

Vollenhove Vollenhove is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk. Until the Noordoostpolder was drained, it was located on the coast of the Zuiderzee. Vollenhove received ci ...

. The region is nearly surrounded by three provincial borders: in the west that of

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and newest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

(

Noordoostpolder Noordoostpolder (; ) is a polder and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called ''Urk, Urker Land''. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the hea ...

region), in the north that of

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

( Stellingwerven region) and in the east that of

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...

(the municipalities of

Westerveld Westerveld () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. The municipality Westerveld was established in 1998 out of the municipalities of Diever, Dwingeloo, Havelte, and Vledder. Westerveld is crossed by a channel, the ''Drentsche Hoofdva ...

and

Meppel Meppel (; Drents: ''Möppelt'') is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It constitutes the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe. Meppel is the smallest municipality in Drenthe, with a total area of about . As of 1 July ...

). In the south it borders on

Salland Salland (; Low Saxon: ''Sallaand'') is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. Nowadays Salland is usually used to indicate a region corresponding to the part of the former dominion more or less to ...

, another region of

. In the is a

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

of about 60 km², '' Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden''. It is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden

Natuurmonumenten Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland (), also known as Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, is a Dutch nature conservation organization founded in 1905 by Jacobus Pieter Thijsse and Eli Heimans, that buys, protects, and manages nature ...

that contains the lakes '' Beulakerwijde'' and '' Belterwijde''.

Gallery

File:Giethoorn 01.JPG, Canal in

File:De Wicher Weerribben.jpg, Windmill near Kalenberg File:Steenwijk centrum van boven.jpg,

from above File:Blokzijl Havenkolk2.jpg, Harbor of

File:Beulakerwijde.jpg, Shore of the Beulakerwijde File:Grafheuvels in het Eeserveld.jpg, Barrows near Eesveen File:Hoofdstraat 96 Oldemarkt.jpg, Old houses in Oldemarkt File:Nederland (Overijssel).jpg, Hamlet of Nederland

References

External links

*
Tourist guide
Regions of Overijssel Regions of the Netherlands {{Overijssel-geo-stub