Coevorden Koevern (Dutch Low Saxon) | |
|---|---|
City andmunicipality | |
 Castle and city hall of Coevorden in 2007 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location in Drenthe | |
| Coordinates:52°40′N6°45′E / 52.667°N 6.750°E /52.667; 6.750 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Drenthe |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Renze Bergsma (CDA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 299.69 km2 (115.71 sq mi) |
| • Land | 296.07 km2 (114.31 sq mi) |
| • Water | 3.62 km2 (1.40 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 35,317 |
| • Density | 119/km2 (310/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Coevordenaar |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 7740–7759, 7840–7869 |
| Area code | 0524, 0528, 0591 |
| Website | www |
Coevorden (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈkuvɔrdə(n)]ⓘ;Dutch Low Saxon:Koevern) is amunicipality and city in theprovince ofDrenthe, in the northeast ofthe Netherlands. It shares a provincial border withOverijssel and an international one withGermany. The city itself is located betweenEmmen andHardenberg on the N34 road, about 2 km from the German border.
Coevorden is the oldest city in Drenthe and was once a very importantfortified city.[5] The old part still has the star-shaped radial streets. It received city rights in the year 1408. The population of Coevorden today is 15,855 (1 January 2023) or 35,740 (2025) for the whole municipality. The largest town after Coevorden isDalen.
Outside the Netherlands, the city is known for indirectly giving its name to the majorCanadian cityVancouver,[6] and also the American cityVancouver, Washington. The 18th-century British explorerGeorge Vancouver had ancestors (and family name) originally came toEngland "from Coevorden" (van Coevern inDutch Low Saxon).[7] There is also a family of nobility with the surnamevan Coeverden, sometimes spelled with a K.
The nameCoevorden means "cowford(s)" or "cow crossing", similar toBosporus orOxford.[7] The first mention of the place name appears in 1036 in the name of Fredericus van Coevorden.[8] The German name isKuhfuhrt.
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In 1141, BishopHartbert van Bierum appointed his brother, Ludolf van Bierum, to the hereditary position ofViscount of Coevorden. This made Hartbert a loyalvassal or perhaps even a puppet.[9] After Hartbert's death, the bond between the bishopric of Utrecht and the city and lordship of Coevorden quickly weakened.
Ludolf was succeeded by his sons Volker van Coevorden and Rudolf I van Coevorden . They behaved as independent lords. This led to a siege in 1882 by BishopBaldwin II of Holland, during which the city was largely destroyed. The bishop appointed Count Otto van Bentheim as the new lord of the castle. The Lords of Coevorden and Count Otto would dispute supremacy for many years. Between 1186 and 1192, war broke out again, during which Rudolf I van Coevorden was taken hostage. Meanwhile, Volker managed to capture the castle, with Otto's family inside. This gave the lords sufficient strength to claim power. Rudolf I van Coevorden was recognized as Viscount of Coevorden. Volker settled in Ansen and was the father of Rudolf II van Coevorden , who would become Viscount of Coevorden.[10]
Coevorden was strategically located on the route fromGroningen toMünster, making it a prosperous fortified town.Otto van Lippe, the bishop ofUtrecht, decided to strengthen its claims over Coevorden, in part to increase income from the region. However, Otto faced a fierce rebellion because the peasants supported their lord,Rudolf II van Coevorden. This resulted in theBattle of Ane, where Otto was killed and the Drenthe peasants under the command of Rudolf II van Coevorden achieved a resounding victory.
After the death of Otto,Wilbrand of Oldenburg was consecrated bishop and he also went to war against Drenthe rebels with the help ofFrisians. However, this battle, theFrisian-Drenthe War, was also won by the Drents. In a later battle, atPeize, the Drenthe were ultimately defeated. Rudolf II of Coevorden was lured toHardenberg Castle where he was captured, tortured, and murdered on 25 July 1230.
In 1288, a grandson of Rudolf returned to power, starting a series of powerful lords of Coevorden, a dynasty that would last until 1402. They controlled the judiciary in Drenthe and their sphere of influence extended toBorculo,Diepenheim,Lage (Germany), and Selwerd.
It wasn't until the end of the 14th century that BishopFrederik van Utrecht put an end to the unrest by abolishing the hereditarycastellany of Coevorden. In 1395, Frederik went to war against the Lord of Drenthe, but unlike at the Battle of Ane, the current lord Reinoud could not count on the support of the peasants because of his own misdeeds. On 4 April 1402, Reinoud renounced all his rights and the Van Coevordens withdrew to their possessions inTwente and theAchterhoek region. Frederik granted Coevordencity rights in 1408.[5]
At the beginning of the 16th century, both the chapel of Hulsvoort and the new church in Coevorden were destroyed. The city fell into the hands of Rudolf ofMünster in 1518, but in 1522 it was recaptured by theGelderlanders, under the command of Johan van Selbach. Selbach then governed all eastern areas, including Overijssel and Drenthe, up to the Groningen seacoast.[11]
Selbach would remain castellan of Coevorden and bailiff of Drenthe until 1536, the end ofCharles II, Duke of Guelders (Karel van Gelre)'s reign. Selbach was forced to hand over the castle and the fortress toGeorg Schenck van Toutenburg, army commander in the region ofEmperor Charles V (Karel V).[11]
Coevorden was besieged by theSpanish from September 1581 to 1592, led byGeorge de Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg. Coevorden was one of the few fortified cities in the northern provinces that had not participated in Rennenberg's betrayal. The citywas captured from the Spanish in 1592 by a Dutch and English force under the command ofMaurice, Prince of Orange. The following year itwas besieged by a Spanish force but the city held out until its relief in May 1594.
Coevorden had to be completely rebuilt. This started in early 16th century modeled to be anideal city design, similar toPalmanova. The streets were laid out in a radial pattern within polygonal fortifications and extensive outer earthworks. The fortifications were designed byMenno van Coehoorn.
On 30 June 1672, Coevorden was captured byBernard van Galen, the bishop ofMünster. On 30 December 1672, the fortified town was relieved within an hour byCarl von Rabenhaupt. The bishop, however, did not give up, and he besieged Coevorden again in 1673. In early October 1673, the bishop attempted to dam theVecht River nearGramsbergen and flood Coevorden. However a strong storm and a breach in the dam led to 1,400 Münster soldiers drowning. Coevorden residents were rescued.
In the 18th century, population growth came to a halt. As a relatively large city, Coevorden still held an important regional role, but this was gradually taken over byEmmen.
In 1795, Coevorden was captured by theFrench, and the occupation would last until 1814. The French army was received as a liberating force, had built up sufficient support, and loyalty to theHouse of Orange was not particularly strong. Berend Slingenberg became secretary of the Revolutionary Committee and was appointed mayor in 1811. AfterNapoleon's abdication on 3 May 1814, the French left the city in a desolate state.[12]
Even after the war,Emmen continued to grow into the most important city in the region, and several businesses and institutions relocated from Coevorden to Emmen. It wasn't until the 1980s and 1990s that Coevorden's reputation began to improve, with the arrival of an animal feed company and the construction of aNATO depot, now in use by the Dutch army. With Europark which bean construction in the mid-1990s and is partly located on German territory, Coevorden aims to give new impetus to industry and business in the region.
During the 1998 municipal reorganisation in the province, Coevorden merged withDalen,Sleen,Oosterhesselen andZweeloo, retaining its name.[13]
Coervorden is located at52°40′N6°45′E / 52.667°N 6.750°E /52.667; 6.750 in the south of the province ofDrenthe in the east of theNetherlands.
The population centres in the municipality are:
There are two railway stations in the municipalityCoevorden railway station andDalen railway station. They are both on the train lineZwolle-Emmen and opened in 1905 (originally it went further toStadskanaal). In 1910, the railway line between Coevorden and Laarwald in Germany opened, but since 1939 this line has been used exclusively for freight transport. It is planned to open again in 2026. The Nedersaksenlijn is also planned to reconnect Emmen to Stadskanaal.[14]
_in_Coevorden_(36846641214).jpg)
In 1897, Coevorden received its firststeam tram connection when the Dedemsvaartsche Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij (DSM) company based inDedemsvaart opened its station in Coevorden. Later the line extended on the other side towardsTer Apel. Steam tram service was discontinued in 1947. The building still exists today.[15]
Coevorden istwinned with:
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Media from Commons
Travel guides from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Coevorden | |
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Municipalities ofDrenthe | ||
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