Aplanned city, Emmen arose from several small farming and peat-harvesting communities which have dotted theprovince ofDrenthe since theMiddle Ages. Traces of these communities can still be seen in the form of the villages ofWestenesch,Noordbarge andZuidbarge: they have a separate history and layout but are surrounded by the suburbs and the center of Emmen.
The expansion of the city did not happen until after theSecond World War. Suburbs were built around the old center of Emmen, starting withEmmermeer directly to the north, and followed to the south-east byAngelslo (for which an old village of the same name was demolished),Emmerhout (famed at the time for being separated from the city by an existing forest) to the east,Bargeres, theRietlanden andParc Sandur to the south and south-west. Construction of the last suburb, calledDelftlanden, is well underway with many homes already built and people living in the area.
There are few historic landmarks left within the city, 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 city's environs, an earthwork byRobert Smithson, "Broken Circle/Spiral Hill", may be found.
The prime economic booster since the 1980s has been the zoo, theDierenpark 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 byWildlands in 2016, when the old zoo closed. Important industries includeTeijin Aramid,DSM Engineering Plastics,Wellman andDiolen Industrial Fibers (currentlySenbis Polymer Innovations). There are extensive glasshouse complexes for horticulture, especially in theKlazienaveen-Erica area. The municipality offers some 38,000 jobs.
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.
Every year a big cycle racingcriterium calledGouden 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 ofThe Schizo's, the infamous local punk-band from the 1980s, was organized during the Gouden Pijl.
Hondsrugtunnel with light art: 'Dolmen Light' byTitia Ex
Speedway Emmen hosts regular Stock Car and Banger Racing.
In addition, there are regular and frequent bus lines within Emmen and towardsGroningen,Hoogeveen andAssen, as well as the surrounding countryside, andMeppen inGermany, departing from Emmen's two bus terminals.
By car, the city is accessible via theN34 fromOmmen viaHardenberg andCoevorden towards Emmen, ending at theA28 motorway (Netherlands) towardsGroningen nearde Punt, theN381 toDrachten, theN391 toVeendam which goes through Emmen (with access to almost every district) and theA37 fromHoogeveen toMeppen inGermany, although this motorway is not directly next to Emmen. From the A37 to Emmen, there are three possibilities: at Junction Holsloot (A37 x N34), at Highway-exit Schoonebeek (A37 x N853), and Highway-exit Klazienaveen (A37 x N862). The A37 is also the quickest way towards theRandstad from Emmen. The A37 ends at the German border, where it continues as theB402 orEuropean route E233.
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