The province's name comes from the perspective of theEpiscopal principality of Utrecht, which held the territory until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel isZwolle (pop. 132,441[5]) and the largest city isEnschede (pop. 161,235). The land mostly consists of grasslands and some forests (includingSallandse Heuvelrug National Park).
Overijssel was formerly known asOversticht and also included most of the modern-day province ofDrenthe. In 1336, it was made part ofGuelders, though it was ceded to theBishopric of Utrecht in 1347. The Bishops ceded the Oversticht to the EmperorCharles V in 1528, who styled himselfLord of Overijssel, after the Latin name of Oversticht that was known since 1233:Transysla orTransisalania, or Over-IJssel, i.e. the other side of the riverIJssel. The people joined with the other Dutch and rebelled against Charles' heirPhilip II. Overijssel became governed by the most powerful mayors and lords in the province, including by the lieutenant-governorNicolaas Schmelzing (1561–1629).
After a brief occupation by the forces of theBishop of Münster (1672–74), Overijssel received a new form of government which granted thestadtholders more power. Widespread resistance against the increased power throughout the provinces eventually led to the formation of theBatavian Republic in 1795. A centralist government arose and the Netherlands was organised into a series ofdépartements, based on those used by revolutionaryFrance.
At first organised into its owndépartement, it was merged withDrenthe in 1798 to formOuden IJssel, which was renamed Overijssel in 1801.
The French annexed the Batavian Republic in 1810, and Overijssel was organised into the new French département ofBouches-de-l'Yssel. After the defeat ofNapoleon in 1814, the kingdom of the Netherlands and the former province of Overijssel were recreated.
Overijssel was occupied byNazi Germany duringWorld War II from May 1940 until its liberation in April 1945. TheNoordoostpolder, areclaimed territory which had been laid dry in 1942, was part of Overijssel from 1962 until 1986, when it became part of the newly created province ofFlevoland.
To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers such as theRegge andDinkel and other brooks. In the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from theOverijsselse Vecht and clay. The northern parts were once covered byveen (bogs) which separated the dryer and more arable south fromDrenthe and which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (Engbertsdijksvenen nearGeesteren,Witteveen (nearHaaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (nearEnschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining and protected under theWeerribben-Wieden National Park status, which is a valuable wetland.
The highest point in Overijssel is the summit of the Tankenberg, a hill in the municipality ofLosser, at 85 metres (278 ft). The lowest point is in the MastenbroekPolder nearKampen at 2 metres (6 ft) belowsea level.
Major channels :Twentekanaal (Enschede and Zutphen-branch to Almelo), Overijssels Kanaal, Kanaal Almelo-De Haandrik, Kanaal Almelo-Nordhorn (outdoors) and Dedemsvaart (largely muted).
Overijssel enjoys an oceanic climate (Cfb in theKöppen classification). However, winters tend to be more severe than the rest of the Netherlands, because of its distance from the coast.[6]
TheProvincial Council, the general government of the province, consists of 47 members[8] who are elected every four years. Until the States elections of March 2007, Overijssel had 63 Members of Parliament. An amendment to the Provinces Act resulted in the total number of States members in the Netherlands being reduced from 764 to the current 564.
In 2015, 26.1% of the population wereProtestant, while 23.3% wereRoman Catholic, 2.9% wereMuslim, and 5.6% adhered to other faiths. Over two-fifths of the population (42.2%) identified as non-religious. In 2010-2013 Overijssel had the highest rate of people as a provincial proportion in the Netherlands who regularly visit a place of worship (although not the highest rate of religious affiliation which was inLimburg).[10] The province has many orthodoxCalvinist communities (most strongly inStaphorst) adhering to theDutch Reformed Church (Hervormde) orReformed (Gereformeerde), mainly in the western part that forms part of theBible Belt. Overijssel also has regularProtestant Church communities and also has some of the highest concentration of Catholic adherents outside the south of the Netherlands in several municipalities in the east and south of the province.[11]
Christian denominations in Overijssel (2015)[12](as % of local population)
TheGross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 43.2 billion € in 2018, accounting for 5.6% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,700 € or 108% of the EU27 average in the same year.[13]
The province has become highly industrialized. TheTwente district in the southeast, where cotton spinning, weaving, and bleaching came into prominence in the 19th century, is one of the principal centres of the Dutch textile industry. The main centres are Enschede, Almelo, Hengelo, and Oldenzaal. Other important industrial centres are Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle.[14]
Overijssel is an important transit province to and fromGermany and the northeast of the Netherlands. There are three main motorways in Overijssel, theA1,A28, and theA35/N35. Other major trunk roads are theN18,A32,N36,N48 andN50. In addition, the province manages a large number ofprovincial roads of major and minor importance.[15]
The A1 enters the province at Deventer and runs via Hengelo and Oldenzaal to the German border, where it connects to theGerman A30. The A1 is an important hinterland connection with a lot of freight traffic. The road will be widened to 2x4 lanes between Knooppunt Beekbergen and Deventer and to 2x3 lanes between Deventer and Knooppunt Azelo.
The N18 forms a connection between Enschede and the Achterhoek. The road was newly opened in 2018 between Enschede and Groenlo as a motorway.
The A28 runs for approximately 20 kilometers in the province, but is the busiest road in Overijssel, with 130,000 vehicles crossing the IJsselbrug every day. The A28 was very sensitive to congestion, but in 2010/2011 the A28 was widened from 2x2 to 2x3 lanes from the Hattemerbroek junction to the Lankhorst junction (excluding the route through Zwolle).
The A32 runs fromMeppel toLeeuwarden, but this highway runs partly through theKop van Overijssel alongSteenwijk, among others. The A32 joins the A28 atStaphorst. The A32 is therefore an important arterial road for the northwest of the province.
The N35 is the most important transport axis through Midden-Overijssel. The road runs from the A28 in Zwolle via Raalte and Nijverdal to Wierden, where the road turns into the A35 past Almelo and Hengelo to Enschede. From Enschede the road turns back into the N35 to the German border. The N35 is the most important connection between the cities ofTwente and theRuhr area andMünster.
The N36 between Almelo and Ommen and the N48 between Ommen and Hoogeveen together form a connection between Twente and Groningen and between Zwolle and Hardenberg. Both roads are two-lane highways.
The N50 is an important connection from Zwolle to Kampen and further to Flevoland and Friesland.
Four intercity connections (Enschede-Randstad, Zwolle – Roosendaal and Groningen/Leeuwarden-Amersfoort-Randstad and Groningen/Leeuwarden-Lelystad-Randstad) run through Overijssel.Zwolle railway station has a junction function. The stations of Almelo, Deventer and Hengelo have a transfer function. The stations of Hengelo, Enschede and Oldenzaal have a direct connection with Germany. The international intercity toBerlin stops in Deventer, Almelo and Hengelo. Goods traffic takes place on many lines to Germany and the north of the Netherlands.
The following railway lines are located in Overijssel:
The main airport in Overijssel is theEnschede Airport Twente, located outside ofEnschede. The airport does not currently offer any international flights, though it has historically.[16]
Due to its location on the IJssel, Overijssel has a number of large bridges. The most important is the IJsselbrug near Zwolle, but the IJsselbrug near Deventer is also important. These are also the busiest roads in the province. At Kampen theN50 crosses the IJssel. Kampen also has two bridges over the IJssel. Other bridges over the IJssel are at Zwolle the Oude IJsselbrug and the railway bridge over the IJssel, and at Deventer a railway and road bridge. In addition to these bridges, the river IJssel can also be crossed at a number of places by means of a number of ferries.
Overijssel is divided into 25 municipalities. Until 1 January 2001, there were still 44, but after a municipal reclassification came into effect, the number fell to 26. On 1 January 2005, the municipalities of Deventer andBathmen were merged (under the nameDeventer), reducing the number of municipalities into 25.
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