Beilen is a village in the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 province of Drenthe

Drenthe

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 been a...

. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe

Midden-Drenthe

Midden-Drenthe is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. The municipality was created in 1998, in a merger of the former municipalities of Beilen, Smilde, and Westerbork...

, and lies about 16 km south of Assen

Assen

Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...

. The old Reformed church is the only really old building; a huge fire destroyed the major part of Beilen in 1820.

Beilen has a railway station - Beilen railway station

Beilen railway station

Beilen is a railway station located in Beilen, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 May 1870, closed on 15 May 1938 and re-opened on 1 June 1940. The station is located on the Meppel–Groningen railway...

.

The biggest employers in Beilen are the former DOMO milkpowder factory and the psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...

 GGZ Drenthe. Beilen is also visited by many tourists, for it is located between many forests and National Reservates. Each august the so-called "Wende-aovends" take place in Beilen, with extra activities for children in the shoppingcentre and featuring local artists at night.

In 2001, the town of Beilen had 8689 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 3.2 km², and contained 3536 residences.
The statistical area "Beilen", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 10060.

Until 1998, Beilen was a separate municipality.

External links

Map of the municipality in 1868.

• Official dutch website of the Beilen community along with Westerbork (village)
  Westerbork (village)
  Westerbork is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe.The village gives its name to the Westerbork deportation and later, concentration camp, located about 7 km north of the village, in the forests of Hooghalen.The Westerbork Synthesis Radio...
  
   and Smilde.