Drenthe

Province Drenthe
Provincie Drenthe

Capital	Assen
Queen's Commissioner	A.L. (Relus) ter Beek
Religion (1999)	Protestant 35% Catholic 8%
Area - Land - Water	7th 2.642 km² 38 km²
Population - Total - Density	10th 483.173 (2005) 183 /km²
Inculsion	1796
Anthem	Mijn Drenthe
Official website	www.Drenthe.nl

Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.

History

Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands has always been a sparsely populated rural area, other parts of the Netherlands didn’t really see this “territory” as a part that belonged to the rest of the Netherlands but more like “wasteland”. This “wasteland”, however, has been populated by people since prehistory, albeit by just a handful. 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. Drenthe was first mentioned in a document from the year 820, it was called Pago Treanth (district Drenthe). In archives from “Het Drents Archief” from 1024 to 1025 the “county Drenthe” is mentioned.

After long being subject to the bishops of Utrecht, Drenthe came under the control of Charles V in the 16th century. When the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was declared, Drenthe became part of it, although it did not gain provincial status until January 1, 1796.

During the Second World War, the German occupiers built a concentration camp near the town of Westerbork, where Dutch Jews were imprisoned before transportation to other camps in Germany and Poland. The famous Jewish girl, Anne Frank was deported on the last train from Westerbork by the Germans.

Politics

The provincial council (Provinciale Staten) has 51 seats, and is headed by the Queen's Commissioner, currently Relus ter Beek. While the provincial council is elected by the inhabitants, the Commissioner is appointed by the Queen and the cabinet of the Netherlands. With 19 seats, the socialist PvdA is the largest party in the council.

The daily affairs of the province are taken care of by the Gedeputeerde Staten, which are also headed by the Commissioner; its members (gedeputeerden) can be compared with ministers.

Municipalities

Due to reorganisations in the 1990s, the number of municipalities in Drenthe has been reduced to twelve. Most municipalities therefore now consist of several towns and villages.

• Aa en Hunze
• Assen
• Borger-Odoorn
• Coevorden
• De Wolden
• Emmen
• Hoogeveen
• Meppel
• Midden-Drenthe
• Noordenveld
• Tynaarlo
• Westerveld

Geography

Besides the capital Assen, Emmen, Meppel and Hoogeveen are the major urban centres of the province. Drenthe, consisting mostly of heathland, has no significant rivers or lakes.

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.

Drents

Drenthe has its own dialect named after the province, but each town or village has its own version.

External links

• Official website
• Map (pdf)
• province map showing subdivision in municipalities, link for each municipality to basic data page
• The Drentse Fietsvierdaagse, the most famous of all fietsvierdaagses of the Netherlands.

Provinces of the Netherlands (ranked lists)
Drenthe | Flevoland | Friesland | Gelderland | Groningen | Limburg | North Brabant | North Holland | Overijssel | South Holland | Utrecht | Zeeland