City and municipality in Overijssel, the Netherlands
This article is about the Dutch municipality. For the similarly named German municipality, seeEschede. For the borough and districts in Stockholm, Sweden, seeEnskede (disambiguation). For other uses, seeEnschedé (disambiguation).
Enschede began as a small settlement in theMiddle Ages and was grantedcity rights in 1325. It grew as a regional centre for trade and agriculture before becoming a major hub of thetextile industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. Until 1935, the municipality of Enschede consisted only of the city of Enschede, when the rural municipality ofLonneker, which surrounded the city, was annexed after the rapid industrial expansion of Enschede that began in the 1860s and involved the building of railways and the digging of theTwentekanaal.
Dutch Topographic map of Enschede (city), June 2014
Enschede lies in the eastern part of Overijssel and is the easternmost city of more than 140,000 inhabitants in the Netherlands. The city lies a few kilometres fromGermany, which borders the municipality. A few small rivers flow through or surround the city, such as the Roombeek and Glanerbeek.
Enschede contains five official city districts, which also include surrounding villages in the municipality:
Stadsdeel Centrum (Binnenstad, Boddenkamp, De Bothoven, 't Getfert, Hogeland Noord, Horstlanden-Veldkamp, Laares, Lasonder-'t Zeggelt)
Ashelf cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede
Like most of the Netherlands, Enschede features an oceanic climate (Cfb in theKöppen classification), however, winters tend to be less mild than the rest of the Netherlands due to its inland location. Although theformer military airport is derelict and plans to revive the place were canceled in 2012, theRoyal Netherlands Meteorological Institute still maintains a weather station there.
Climate data for Twenthe, Enschede (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Balcony of the city hall depicts Enschede received its city rightsMap of Enschede in 1570
The early history of Enschede is largely unknown, but a settlement existed around the Old Marketplace in early medieval times. The name of this settlement is mentioned asAnescede or Enscede meaning either "near the border" (withBentheim) or "near the Es" and sported a church, a marketplace and a fortified aristocratic house.[10]
Enschede was grantedcity rights around 1300 which were confirmed in 1325 by BishopJan III van Diest and henceforth was allowed to protect itself with a wall. Because a stone wall was too expensive (since stone had to be imported), Enschede had a system of ditches, palisades and hedges instead, which is still reflected in the street-namesNoorderhagen andZuiderhagen (North Hedge and South Hedge, respectively). The city plan of this era is still recognisable in the street-pattern. The city was spared destruction in 1597 atits capture during theEighty Years' War when after a short siege, the Spanish garrison surrendered the city and the defences were razed.
Because the medieval city was largely built of wood and stone houses were the exception, fire was a constant risk and a series of fires in 1517, 1750 and again on 7 May 1862 earned the people from Enschede the nicknameBrandstichters (arsonists).
The last fire coincided with the start of the growth of the city into a large production center for textiles, stimulating a large increase in population, which by 1894 had reached an estimated 18,267:[11] nineteenth-century urban growth was at first rather chaotic. The names of the slums (likeDe Krim andSebastopol) are still notorious, although they have long since been torn down.[citation needed] In 1907 thelaissez faire mentality was dropped and Enschede was the first city in the Netherlands to draw up an official expansion plan, incorporating the surrounding municipality ofLonneker.[citation needed]
Textile production, originally a cottage industry, reached an industrial scale at the start of the 19th century. In particular,bombazijn (a mixture of cotton and linen) proved a successful export. One such factory to have produced textiles in the late 19th century is theHardick & Seckel Factory.[citation needed]
British troops advancing from Enschede, April 1945
DuringWorld War II, Enschede was one of the first Dutch cities to be captured by German troops due to its proximity to the German border. Resistance members helped many of the Jews from Enschede to hide on farms in the vicinity. Out of approximately 1300 Jews in Enschede, 500 were saved (38.5%), compared to less than 20% in the rest of the Netherlands.[citation needed] This higher survival rate is attributed to three members of the Jewish Council of Enschede, Sig Menko, Gerard Sanders and Isidoor Van Dam who took the initiative, against the advice of the Jewish Council of Amsterdam, of urging their community to go into hiding and not to answer the call-up of the Germans for "labour in the East." Another notable hero of the era was Enschede Pastor Leendert Overduin, who saved hundreds of Jewish children and adults, with help from his sister and others, through a network of safehouses in and around Enschede.[citation needed]
Enschede was bombed on several occasions, most notably on 10 October 1943, and 22 February 1944. During the first raid thenearby airport (thenFliegerhorst Twente) was a target of opportunity for theVIII Bomber Command during a raid on rail- and waterways inMünster.[12][13] 141 people died and many houses were damaged.[citation needed] The latter mission named Enschede as a target of opportunity duringBig Week after bombers had been recalled due to adverse weather.[14]
In the 1960s, the textile industry was completely lost, at the cost of approximately 30,000 jobs.[citation needed] Most of the large factory complexes were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s, some were renovated and given a new purpose. For example, homes were built in the former factories of Jannink and Van Heek. In addition, part of the Jannink complex was converted into amuseum. Enschede developed into a service city.
In the 1970s, the textile production in Enschede came to a halt, due to fierce competition from mainly theFar East. This had a profound effect on the populace. Enschede became one of the poorest municipalities in the Netherlands and went bankrupt. Large areas of industrial wasteland came to mark the city. With the support of the national government, this property was acquired and rebuilt. The city center was rendered acar-free zone.
Monument commemorating theEnschede fireworks disaster. The inscription says: "The vanished house between heaven and earth."
In 1961, it was announced that a third technical university would be founded, placed on an estate on the western border of Enschede. This green campus called Drienerlo was donated by the city of Enschede. Building was complete in 1964, when the first and only full-facility university of the Netherlands was realised.
On 13 May 2000, afireworks storage depot in Enschedeexploded, destroying part of the neighborhood ofRoombeek and killing 23 people, including 4 firemen. In 2001, areferendum confirmed the proposal of the city council to expand the built-up area into theUsseler Es, an area of historic cultural significance and of geological importance, as it was here that theUsselo horizon was discovered. The renovations at Roombeek were finished in the year 2012. The place where the factory used to be is now a monument.
The Alpha Tower was completed in 2008 and this tower block with 91 apartments spread over 29 floors, with a height of 101 meters, is the tallest building in Enschede and the whole province of Overijssel. In the period 1995–2010, Enschede grew by approximately 10,000 inhabitants, but since then the growth has stagnated.[15]
The largest religion in Enschede is Christianity with 34.9% of the population being Christian.
Enschede has a largeAssyrian community, the first Assyrians came to Enschede in the 1970s, primarily from Turkey (Tur Abdin). Today there are threeSyriac Orthodox Churches in the city which meet the spiritual needs of Enschede's more than 10,000 Assyrians.[17][18]
The city is a former centre of textile production. When this industry left the area for cheaper production centers in South-East Asia, Enschede became one of the poorest municipalities in the Netherlands. More educated and wealthier citizens have historically migrated to theRandstad region; decades of renovation work in the city center have been carried out with the goal of making Enschede more attractive to this group.Modern shopping centres and department stores that until recently were only found in much larger cities have been opened. Enschede is host to many yearly festivals and the Old Market Square is often the venue for events, live music and other activities at the weekend.
The proximity to Germany has, historically, been another major factor in the city's economic activity, ranging from the smuggling of coffee and tobacco in the 19th and 20th century, to large numbers of Germans, who visit the city's shops and weekly markets. Therefore, many natives of Enschede speak German more or less fluently.[citation needed]
The city is co-operating with the nearby municipalities ofAlmelo,Borne andHengelo asNetwerkstad Twente. A draft law plan to merge Enschede with Hengelo and Almelo was defeated in parliament under the influence of opposition from the other towns.
There are over 95,000 jobs in Enschede.[citation needed] Most businesses can be found on one the business parks in the city or the port of Enschede (inland water port).
Grolsch beer is brewed in Enschede, and the tyre manufacturerApollo Vredestein B.V. head office and a factory are in the city. It now looks like the factory in Enschede will close in 2025.
Other major employers are University of Twente, Saxion University of applied sciences, MST medical centre, Health insurance company Menzis, foodcompany Huuskes and Rabobank.
There are several museums in Enschede, among them theRijksmuseum Twenthe for art. A museum of natural history and a museum dedicated to the history of thetextiles industry, both closed in January 2007, have merged, and have reopened in April 2008 in new premises on a new location under the nameTwentseWelle (Source/Well of Twente). The new location is situated inRoombeek, where a fireworks disaster took place in 2000. The new museum is located partly in a renovated old textile factory, in reference to Enschede's textile history, and partly in an adjourning new building, designed by the Amsterdam-based firm SeARCH (project architect: Bjarne Mastenbroek). Besides museums there are also several art spaces, the most prominent beingVilla de Bank and TETEM. The latter focuses on art and technology, and aims to be accessible for a wide public.[21]Enschede is also home of The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.
De Museumfabriek (formerly TwensteWelle) is a museum in theRoombeek district that arose from a merger of three institutions: Natuurmuseum Enschede,Van Deinse Instituut and Fabriekcomplex Jannink. In this museum, the cultural-historical heritage ofTwente is linked to the natural-historical heritage, a unique combination for the Netherlands. The museum was opened in April 2008 by the thenQueen Beatrix.
The German-Dutch relationship is characteristic of music culture, which arose through cooperation in the border region and the dominanttextile industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Especially during the period of reversal after theWorld War I, a close German-Dutch cultural cooperation developed inGronau and Enschede, which became increasingly important from string quartets, salon orchestras and hot dance music bands to symphony orchestras and an operetta company ("Enschedesch Opera en Operette Gezelschap") with their own performances. At the same time, jazz also found enthusiastic supporters from 1920 onwards.
The three major concert stages for classical music in Enschede – the Muziekcentrum, the Twentse Schouwburg and the Grote Kerk – have been operating under the name Podium Twente since September 2002 and since September 2011 under the name Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum Enschede. There is a varied offer of concerts, theater, youth and youth performances and the like to visit.
In November 2008 the Nationaal Muziekkwartier opened its doors in Enschede. A new large theatre, pop stage Atak, the ArtEZ Conservatory, the Orkest van het Oosten (now the Dutch Symphony Orchestra), the Twente Music School, the Nationale Reisopera (now the Nederlandse Reisopera) and Podium Twente (now Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum Enschede) have settled in this dominant building opposite the Central Station in Enschede. There will be a new large square, the Willem Wilminkplein.
In December 2012, theSerious Request action from national radio station3FM took place in Enschede, which collected more than 12.2 million euros (almost US$16.2 million).
The university has courses in pure technical studies such as Applied Physics, Applied Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Informatics/Computer Science and Industrial Engineering and also offers study programmes in Communication, Psychology, Economic Sciences, International Business Administration, Public Administration, Applied Medicine and Biomedical Technology; the latter attract a broader public. Since 2006, the programmes of European Studies, Advanced Technology, Creative Technology and ATLAS University College have been added to the university's offerings.
The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente, with former name International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, (known by its abbreviationITC) runs MSc, Master's, Diploma and PhD courses in Geo-Information Science for developing countries. Students from all over the world attend the ITC. Enschede also has anacademy of arts and design combined with aconservatory named ArtEZ.
TheMedisch Spectrum Twente (MST) hospital is one of the largest top-clinical hospitals of the Netherlands and features important tertiary care departments, fulfilling a supraregional role. It includes alevel I trauma center as well. The hospital is strongly involved in higher medical education, with up to 300 medical students following their internships in the hospital at any given time, closely working together with the University of Twente's Technical Medicine program training a new type of technically specialized doctors.
There is no track connection between the two systems. The through line had been retained for eventualNATO use during theCold War even after through passenger service was ended (September 1981), although it was in serious disrepair in later years. With the renewal of service to Germany (May 2001) the track was severed; there is a gap of about 30 centimeters between them[23] which means that Enschede is now a "double terminus station" with tracks to the West (the Netherlands) and to the East (Germany) but with no connection between them.
Twents buses from the previous concession (2013-2023) bySyntus in Enshede
There is a network of bus lines connecting nearly every part of the city with the centre. Enschede also has bus connections to nearby towns and cities, likeHengelo,Oldenzaal and south towardsHaaksbergen,Neede andEibergen. Since 10 December 2023 the bus lines are operated byArriva, under theRRReis brand.
Previously, Enschede had a combined regional civil airport,Enschede Airport, and Airbase Twenthe of theRoyal Netherlands Air Force. The latter was closed in 2007; the former was closed in 2008. However, it remains in operation for business air traffic flying via a charter or private jet, and recreational flights.[24] The nearest airportsMünster Osnabrück Airport which is located 69 km away and Amsterdam'sSchiphol Airport is located 174 km away west of Enschede.
Around the center districts of Enschede is a complete ring road with a length of approximately 8 km, which is popularly called "de singel". This was constructed in the period between 1916 and 1929.[25] Most major arterial roads connect to the canal. Enschede is connected to the national road network by means of theA/N35 and theN18. Below and on the edge of the center are various parking facilities, the most famous and largest of which is the Van Heekgarage, which is located under the Van Heekplein. At the end of 2012, construction of an additional entrance and exit at Kuipersdijk was started as the South entrance. Van Heekgarage is the largest underground parking garage in the Netherlands with a capacity of 1650 cars.[26]
Enschede'sassociation football club isFC Twente. Twente were the 2010Eredivisie champions but were relegated to the second-tier league, theEerste Divisie, after the2017–18 season. Since the 2019–2020 season, they are back in the Eredivisie.De Grolsch Veste Stadium is the club's home base and has a capacity of 30,205 spectators.TheEnschede Marathon is the second oldest marathon in Europe, and the oldest in the Netherlands, having been run annually since 1947. DOS-WK played in theKorfbal League until 2006.
^"Postcodetool for 7511HC".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis.Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved25 March 2014.
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