Emmen () is a municipality and town of the province of Drenthe in the northeastern Netherlands.
History
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 center of Emmen.
The expansion of the town did not happen until after the Second World War. Suburbs were built around the old center 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 separated 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 well underway with many 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.
In 1957 it hosted the 1st Women's Chess Olympiad.
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. It was replaced by Wildlands in 2016, when the old zoo closed. Important industries include Teijin Aramid, DSM Engineering Plastics, Wellman and Diolen Industrial Fibers (currently Senbis Polymer Innovations). There are extensive glasshouse complexes for horticulture, especially in the Klazienaveen-Erica area. The municipality offers some 38,000 jobs.
Emmen is the most populous urban area of Drenthe. The municipality of Emmen is one of the largest in the Netherlands, although the area outside the town borders of Emmen is rather rural. The other villages of importance are Emmer-Compascuum, Klazienaveen, Nieuw-Amsterdam and Schoonebeek.
Geography
The population centres:
Barger-Compascuum
Emmen
Emmer-Compascuum
Erica
Klazienaveen
Nieuw-Amsterdam
Nieuw-Dordrecht
Nieuw-Schoonebeek
Nieuw-Weerdinge
Roswinkel
Schoonebeek
Veenoord
Weiteveen
Zwartemeer
Demography
The municipality of Emmen has some 107,000 inhabitants, with 56,000 living in the city of Emmen. Compared to some 3,000 inhabitants in the nineteenth century, this illustrates Emmen's rapid growth in the past 150 years.
Sports
The town's football club FC Emmen plays their home games in De Oude Meerdijk.
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.
Speedway Emmen hosts regular Stock Car and Banger Racing.
Attractions
Attractions in Emmen are Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen, the inner city, the natural environment and the Rensenpark (with among others the Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art). There is also Museum Collectie Brands in the adjacent village of Nieuw-Dordrecht.
Transportation
Emmen is served by one train connection with Zwolle, which in turn leads to the rest of the country. Emmen railway station Emmen Zuid railway station Nieuw Amsterdam railway station
In addition, there are regular and frequent bus lines within Emmen and towards Groningen, Hoogeveen and Assen, as well as the surrounding countryside, and Meppen in Germany, departing from Emmen's two bus terminals.