Ommen
Encyclopedia
Ommen is a municipality
and a Hanseatic
city
in the Vecht
valley of the Salland
region, which is at the heart of the province of Overijssel
in the eastern Netherlands
. Historical records first name Ommen in the early 12th century and it was officially founded as a city in 1248. It now has 17,402 inhabitants on a surface of 181.98 km² (70.26 sq mi).
(population: 570), the municipality consists of the following hamlets and villages:
Archem
, Arriën
, Arriërveld
, Beerze
, Beerzerveld
, Besthmen
, Eerde, Giethmen
, Junne
, Ommerschans
, Stegeren
, Stegerveld
, Varsen
, Vilsteren
, Vinkenbuurt
, Witharen
and Zeesse
.
from the Mesolithic period
found in between Ommen and Mariënberg
indicates the presence of humans, but there seems to have been hardly any cultivation
or permanent settlement during this period.
The Vecht
(sometimes called the Overijsselse Vecht, to avoid confusion with its namesake
in Utrecht
) and Regge
river
s determined the first settlements in the area that is now the municipality of Ommen. Most of the Salland
region was marsh
y but the higher banks along the Vecht and Regge provided fertile soil
for agriculture
. Moreover, good roads were rare, so for trade, transport and travel the rivers provided a vital infrastructure. The first sporadic agricultural settlements in Salland
therefore arose along the riverbanks of the Vecht and the Regge. Indeed, all early population centres in the current municipality of Ommen were originally built on riverbanks — with the exception of the town of Lemele
, which was situated on the lower slopes of the Lemelerberg, free from flooding by the Regge.
The location of Ommen itself proved particularly suitable for settlement — not only because of the fertile river soil and the higher ground of the river dune (even today the church square is visibly higher than the streets to its east and south), but also because of the ford
in the Vecht facilitating trade routes between the Frisia
n north and Twente
to the south. Archeological discoveries indicate that the first settlement at Ommen emerged during the 8th century AD, and by the end of the 11th century a veritable town had developed — among the first in Overijssel. The first permanent settlers in Ommen were mixed crop-livestock farmers who also engaged in river trade and inn
keeping. Most of these first settlers were probably of Saxon
origin, though the Salians
who dominated the banks of the IJssel
also influenced the region economically, politically and religiously. The first houses in Ommen were hutkommen: wooden houses of which the ground floor was typically around half a meter below the ground. A church was built at the heart of Ommen around 1150 and was soon after replaced by a stone church, indicating further growth of the settlement. Written records first mention Ommen as de Vmme in 1133 and as Ummen in 1227.
This gradual growth, however, did not mean Ommen could also dominate the surrounding area politically, as there were many other powers in the land. Above all, the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht, who had obtained dominion over all of Oversticht from Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
, in 1010, repeatedly attempted to increase and centralise his authority over the towns and estates of Salland. The burghers
of nearby cities — especially Zwolle
— were also known to interfere in the region. More locally, farming communities in the eastern Netherlands organised themselves into markes (autonomous areas) where a buurschap (rule by neighbours) formed a unique kind of grassroots local government. Last but not least, havezates (or castle
s) arose in the area surrounding Ommen — especially at strategic points such as the banks of the Vecht (the Arendshorst on the northern bank and Beerze
on the southern bank), the banks of the Regge (most notably at Eerde) or both banks ('t Laer) — from which robber baron
s dominated the surrounding area and could levy tolls on river commerce in defiance of the authority of the bishop. These robber barons and the buurschappen formed a check on the influence of Ommen on the surrounding region — yet it was ironically due to one such robber baron that Ommen grew to become an outright city.
On 25 August 1248, Ommen received city rights
and fortification rights
from Otto III, the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht, after the town was pillaged by local robber baron Rudolf of Coevorden
and his militia of freemen in both 1215 and in the aftermath of the Battle of Ane
of 1227. Ommen's location at the confluence of two rivers at the heart of the region made it the bishop's strategic and logistic basis in the defence of his domain Oversticht against the rebellious Drents
. Ommen thus became the third-oldest officially recognised city in Overijssel, after Zwolle
and Rijssen
.
A wall was soon erected around Ommen, including three gates: the Vechtpoort or Voorbruggenpoort (on the bank of the Vecht), the Varsenerpoort (on the western wall for traffic with Varsen
) and the Arriërpoort (on the northern wall for traffic with Arriën
). Even to this day, the two bell
s in the church's belltower, named Maria and Salvator and cast in 1517 by Hendrick de Tremonia of Dordrecht
, are rung every evening at nine o'clock. These so-called Ave-Maria peals form a custom which traces its origin to the tradition of ringing the bell at the closing of the gates. Ommen never received a moat
, even though it was permitted one.
Ommen soon became a regional port and market for agricultural products. Due to this commercial growth and strategic commercial position, Ommen eventually joined the prosperous Hanseatic League
- although most of its trade was not directly with the Baltic Sea
region, but with fellow Hanseatic cities Zwolle
, Kampen
, Zutphen and especially Deventer
, of which it was a subsidiary city. A toll bridge
across the Vecht (first built in 1492) further increased its wealth and commercial importance, even though the toll bridge across the Vecht was destroyed by ice floes three times through the centuries. The toll
levy was usually auctioned off to private tax collectors, who resided in the toll house (built in 1531) next to the bridge. A bridge toll would be levied until 1925.
For centuries during the Middle Ages, the Estates
of Oversticht, a diet
or feudal
parliament
representing the quarters of Salland
, Twenthe
and Vollenhove
(and until 1527 also Drenthe) and the cities of Zwolle, Deventer and Kampen, convened just outside of the city of Ommen at Nieuwebrug (or New Bridge), named after the bridge over the Regge
on the road between Ommen and Hellendoorn
. Following a feud between Kampen and Zwolle in 1519, however, a gathering of the Estates was attacked by citizens of neighbouring Zwolle, who abducted three noblemen
and pillaged nearby Eerde castle. During the years that followed, conflict
escalated in Overijssel.
In 1522, citizens of Zwolle
attacked and pillaged Ommen with the aid of Charles
of Guelders
who thus conquered the city from Utrecht. Only the church and women's home de Heilige Geest (the Holy Spirit) survived the pillage and fire.
Ommen remained part of Guelders
until 1528, when emperor
Charles V
inherited authority over the entire Duchy of Guelders, including Overijssel
. A new city hall was built in 1531 in between the church and the Vrijthof square. The city was pillaged again in 1568 by Spanish troops under the 'Iron' Duke of Alba
, fighting for Charles's successor, Philip II
of Spain
. This time, the pillage was not as devastating: Ommen's church, city hall and several other main buildings were spared. In 1581, the Estates of Overijssel convened outside Ommen to depose Philip and proclaim the independence of the Netherlands.
Though a 'Golden Age
' for the young Dutch Republic
, the 17th century proved rather devastating for Ommen. A great fire in 1624 inflicted serious damage on the church, of which only the foundations and a few walls remained. To control traffic and to prevent military invasions from the north, the fortification of Ommerschans was constructed. In 1672, one of the most severe fires in Ommen's history raged through the entire city, destroying everything but the church. In that same year, the aptly named 'Rampjaar
' (disaster year), the Franco-Dutch War
broke out, and until 1674 foreign troops (especially from Münster
) frequently marched through Ommen, demanding passage, payment, food and lodging. It was not until 1753 that Ommen had sufficiently recovered to afford a new city hall, built at the Vrijthof square, on the same location as the previous building.
During the so-called 'periwig era' of decline in the Netherlands, discontent with oligarchical rule also increased in Ommen. In 1732, the citizens of Ommen rose up against the city council. A petition was handed to the Magistrate on May 31, in which a large share of the citizenry rejected its authority and asked it to resign. The council refused and severe riots ensued, but eventually order was restored. In 1762, a night guard was installed to maintain public order, but the unrest would remain until the Batavian revolution
of 1795.
, king of the short-lived Kingdom of Holland
. They were disappointed when they found out the king had already passed Ommen the day before. The three burgomasters quickly pursued the king and met with his party near Gramsbergen
, still receiving a gift of 1000 Dutch guilder
s for the well-intended preparations for his visit.
When his brother Napoleon Bonaparte
annexed the Kingdom of Holland
into the French Empire
in 1810, he had all local government radically reformed to become compatible with French structures. Ommen too was affected: the separate jurisdictions of Stad Ommen
(composed of the city of Ommen and the Ommerschans) and Ambt Ommen
(which comprised most of the rest of the current municipality, Avereest
and Den Ham
as well) were merged into one Mairie Ommen (though Den Ham
became a separate municipality). This caused much controversy and discontent locally because the marke communities thus lost their ancient rights of self-governance. In 1818, shortly after Dutch independence, Mairie Ommen was once more decentralised into the municipalities Stad Ommen, Ambt Ommen and Avereest. To ensure good coordination, one burgomaster
was appointed over both Stad and Ambt from 1851 onwards.
To safeguard the eastern borders of the newly established Kingdom of the Netherlands, plans were drawn by order of Baron Krayenhoff
in 1819 to convert Ommen into a city with fortifications. However, these radical plans (Ontwerp ter bevestiging van Ommen 1819) were not carried out in the end, as the IJssel
river to the west was considered a more natural line of defence.
Although renovated and expanded in 1758, the toll house next to the bridge (also called the bridge master's house) was torn down in 1827 to be replaced by a new city hall, designed by the architect J.P. Orentzburg. This new building, situated on the bank of the Vecht, housed all offices of the municipal authorities — including the city council, the court, the tax and toll office, the Gentlemen's Society and the home of the burgomaster. The court moved to a new building in 1882. The burgomaster and the Gentlemen's Society moved soon afterwards. The city hall was renovated and expanded in 1925 and again in 1955. The municipal authorities left the building in 1982. It has since been converted into a museum and a restaurant.
In 1923, the municipalities of Stad Ommen and Ambt Ommen were once again merged. The borders of the municipality have remained unchanged since, with the exception of the eastern part of Lemelerveld which came under the municipality of Dalfsen
in 1997.
On the night of 6 February 1972, a Palestine
terrorist
organisation named Black September
attempted to blow up a natural gas
pipeline
at a distribution hub near Ommen, but not all explosives were detonated. A blue bag filled with explosives was found after the explosion, next to a three meter wide crater. During the same night there were also attacks in Hamburg
and the Dutch village of Ravenstein
— and later that year, Black September also caused the Munich Massacre
.
About four kilometres (or 2½ miles) south-east of Ommen and adjacent to the hamlet of Eerde lies the castle Eerde, a castle in the Dutch-classical style from 1715, surrounded by a 1,667 hectare
estate
in the Baroque
style managed by the Natuurmonumenten
foundation since 1965.
The name "Eerde" is a Saxon word meaning "earth". The first castle on this site was built in the 14th century, but was soon destroyed by the bishop
's men in 1380 — along with the fortifications of the town of Ommen. In the centuries since, the Van Twickelo, Van Renesse
and Van Pallandt families have lived in castles on this site. The castle was used by the famous philosopher and spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti
, of whom Baron Philip van Pallandt
was an avid follower, from about 1924 to just before the start of the Second World War
. Van Pallandt granted Krishnamurti a territory at the Besthemerberg
, north of Eerde. There Krishnamurti held his Order of the Star in the East
lectures and meetings in front of audiences of thousands of people from dozens of countries.
During the Second World War, a Nazi concentration camp
, Kamp Erika
, was situated at the Besthemerberg. Only eight Jews were detained here; the camp was designated mostly for Dutchmen convicted of black market trade or resistance to the occupational authorities. The camp was notorious for the brutal behaviour of its personnel, leading Dutch judges to refuse to send convicts there in 1943. The camp was turned into an Arbeitserziehungslager mostly for those refusing to do forced labour, but in the fall of 1944 it once again became a penal camp. The camp was liberated on 11 April 1945. From 1945 to 1946, the camp was instead used to detain Dutchmen who had collaborated
with the German occupiers. Their treatment was not much better.
Nowadays the castle houses the private international boarding school Eerde, which offers the IB
programme.
About ten kilometres (or six miles) due north of Ommen lies the former Ommerschans fortification. The Ommerschans
was a fortress built in 1628 as part of a defence line to defend the northern provinces of Groningen
and Friesland
from the marauding count
Hendrik van den Bergh
(in Spanish
service) after the expiration of the Twelve Years' Truce
. Hendrik, a nephew of William of Orange
, then defected to the Dutch Republic
in 1633.
The defences of the Ommerschans were restrengthened in the middle of the 17th century to deter and halt a possible invasion from the German states. Despite these new fortifications, the Ommerschans was captured without any resistance when the Catholic
bishop
s Bernhard von Galen
of Münster
and Maximilian Henry
of Cologne
invaded in 1672, the so-called rampjaar
(or disaster year) that started the Franco-Dutch War
. The 146 musketeer
s and 55 pikemen
stationed at the Ommerschans fled north, only to return later that year when the bishops retreated after their failed siege
of the northern city of Groningen.
Under pressure from the citizens of Ommen and after the Peace of Utrecht
of 1713, the fortress was closed down in 1715, only to be reinstated as a fortified arsenal
in 1740 when war
reignited in Continental Europe
. During the Patriot Revolt
of 1787, militias from Zwolle
, Kampen
and Vollenhove
conquered and pillaged the Ommerschans, stealing all its weaponry to help them in their paramilitary struggle against the regime
. The Ommerschans fortification became abandoned and would never again be used for military purposes.
In the early 19th century, the Dutch government changed it into a resocialisation institution and labour camp for beggars, prostitutes and alcoholics from Amsterdam
and other western cities. They were supposed to learn farming and morals by experience so they could reintegrate into society. In reality the beggars were used for semi-forced and all-but-unpaid labour to reclaim
the wetlands surrounding Ommerschans, eventually reclaiming an area of 4 by 2½ kilometres. Politician and novelist Jacob van Lennep
visited Ommerschans during his walking tour with Dirk van Hogendorp
across the newly independent United Kingdom of the Netherlands
in the summer of 1823, and documented his appal at the conditions at the labour camp: "These hours are certainly among the saddest I have lived through."
When the institution went bankrupt in 1859 the Dutch government managed the labour camp until 1889, when it was finally closed down. During its years in operation, between several hundred and two thousand workers would live at Ommerschans at any one time, and an estimated 5448 workers died whilst interned there.
Ommen lies 20 kilometres (12½ miles) east of the provincial capital of Zwolle
and 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) north-east of fellow Hanseatic city
Deventer
. It lies on the north bank of the Vecht
river, not far from where the Regge
river merges with this stream. Only smaller ships and yachts can use these waterways.
Because Ommen is a rural municipality, tourism
and agriculture
are the pillars of the local economy. The beautiful forests and hilly heathland
s of Ommen attract many nature-seeking visitors. The city of Ommen has several hotels and in the surrounding area there are fifteen campgrounds. Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
on the left bank of the Vecht was the first Scouting campground in the Netherlands. Ommen also has a small marina
.
Since 15 January 1903, Ommen has had a railway station
designed by Eduard Cuypers
. It is situated one kilometer from the centre on the opposite side of the Vecht
. The station is on the (minor) Zwolle
-Emmen line and trains stop roughly twice an hour. Ommen also used to have direct railway links to Stadskanaal
and to Deventer
via Raalte
, which were abandoned when they lost their importance due to the emergence of the automobile
. Early plans to establish railway lines from Ommen to Hoogeveen
and to Hellendoorn
were abandoned for that same reason.
An important infrastructural problem is the N34 road from Zwolle
via Emmen to Groningen, which crosses the city of Ommen. One of its main crossroads, near the Vecht bridge is a bottleneck that causes frequent traffic congestion. The government is rerouting the N34 road north of the city, in order to reduce crosstown traffic.
is Mr. Gerrit Jan Kok (VVD
). He was appointed by the crown in January 2007 to replace Arend ten Oever (CDA
), after consultation with the citizens of Ommen.
The last municipal elections were in March 2010. The seventeen seats in Ommen's municipal council were divided as follows:
The current College of Burgomaster and Aldermen (the municipal executive) is supported by the four coalition parties
: CDA
, VVD
, ChristianUnion
and Labour - each of which provides one alderman
.
Ommen is famous for its Bissing fair
and market
s. These yearly markets have been organised on the second Tuesday of July since at least 1557. The Bissing lasted three days from Monday till Wednesday. Its success was based on the wide array of products on offer and a relaxation of excise
s and regulation on alcoholic consumption, attracting merchants and consumers to Ommen from far and wide. In the 19th century it became one of the main markets in the province of Overijssel
, and there would often be brawl
s and riot
s. In 1918, the council of Dutch Reformed Church
asked the town council to end the public events surrounding the Bissing for moral reasons. The town council complied and the Bissing activities were suspended until 1958, although the market continued.
Nowadays the Bissing has become a major tourist attraction
, lasting for five consecutive Wednesdays after the initial market and comprising a wide array of ceremonies, fairs, concerts, funfairs and activities.
The etymology
of the word Bissing is widely discussed. Some believe it is derived from 'Bishop's day', in recognition of the granting of Ommen's town rights, whilst others believe the Low-Saxon word is related to the English word business.
, but many will also speak Low Saxon
or Plat — an ancient language related to Low German
and Old English
which is indigenous to the north-east of the Netherlands
. The dialect of Plat spoken in Ommen is Sallands
. Although both the national government and the European Union
recognise Plat as a regional language
, it is considered by many to be a mere dialect
of Dutch, and its popularity is waning rapidly, even compared to Twents
. English
and German
are also widely spoken as second languages.
The poet Johanna van Buren died in Ommen in 1962. Her Plat poetry in the Salland
and Twents
dialect is still popular throughout Overijssel
. The Johanna van Buren Cultural Prize is awarded once every three years to a person who contributed to the regional culture of the Eastern Netherlands.
, Dutch Protestant
and Liberated Reformed (Gereformeerd Vrijgemaakt) congregations.
Ommen was built around the old church at its centre, built around 1150, first mentioned in 1238 and severely damaged by fires in 1330 and 1624. The church was converted to Calvinism
during the Reformation
of the 16th century, and it was not until the constitutional reforms of 1853 that the Roman Catholicism was once again openly practiced in Ommen and not until 1860 that a new Roman Catholic church was founded in the centre of Ommen. The village of Vilsteren to the west of Ommen, however, had remained entirely Roman Catholic
throughout the centuries.
The famous preacher and dissenter
Albertus van Raalte
lived and worked in Ommen between 1839 and 1844, before he and his congregation moved to America to found the Reformed Church in America
and the city of Holland, Michigan
.
Most of the Jews of Ommen were murdered in the Holocaust
, as were the majority of the Dutch Jews.
with:
Recke
in neighbouring
North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
(since 1989) Żnin
in Poland
(since 1991)
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the Vecht
Vechte
The Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
valley of the Salland
Salland
Salland is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. It is probably named after the Salian Franks, who are thought to originate from Salland...
region, which is at the heart of the province of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
in the eastern Netherlands
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...
. Historical records first name Ommen in the early 12th century and it was officially founded as a city in 1248. It now has 17,402 inhabitants on a surface of 181.98 km² (70.26 sq mi).
Population centres
Besides the city of Ommen (population: 8,710) and the town of LemeleLemele
Lemele is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 20 km northwest of Almelo.In 2001, the town of Lemele had 405 inhabitants...
(population: 570), the municipality consists of the following hamlets and villages:
Archem
Archem
Archem is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 20 km northwest of Almelo.The administrative unit Archem comprises also Nieuwebrug , an old crossing of the Regge river....
, Arriën
Arriën
Arriën is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 22 km south of Hoogeveen.The statistical area "Arriën", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 330....
, Arriërveld
Arriërveld
Arriërveld is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 18 km south of Hoogeveen....
, Beerze
Beerze
Beerze is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 20 km north of Almelo.The statistical area "Beerze", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 260....
, Beerzerveld
Beerzerveld
Beerzerveld is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 16 km north of Almelo.In 2001, the town of Beerzerveld had 304 inhabitants...
, Besthmen
Besthmen
Besthmen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 22 km east of Zwolle....
, Eerde, Giethmen
Giethmen
Giethmen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 21 km east of Zwolle.The statistical area "Giethmen", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 170....
, Junne
Junne
Junne is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 22 km northwest of Almelo.The statistical area "Junne", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 60....
, Ommerschans
Ommerschans
Ommerschans is a former bulwark in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 16 km south of Hoogeveen....
, Stegeren
Stegeren
Stegeren is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 21 km north of Almelo....
, Stegerveld
Stegerveld
Stegerveld is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 17 km south of Hoogeveen....
, Varsen
Varsen
Varsen is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 19 km east of Zwolle.The statistical area "Varsen", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 460....
, Vilsteren
Vilsteren
Vilsteren is a village in the municipality of Ommen in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is situated just off the left bank of the Vecht in between Dalfsen and Ommen, about 17 kilometres east of the provincial capital of Zwolle....
, Vinkenbuurt
Vinkenbuurt
Vinkenbuurt is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 18 km south of Hoogeveen....
, Witharen
Witharen
Witharen is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 19 km south of Hoogeveen.The village Witharen has a population of around 70....
and Zeesse
Zeesse
Zeesse is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 23 km east of Zwolle....
.
History
The emergence of Ommen
The first inhabitants of Ommen were probably semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. FlintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
from the Mesolithic period
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
found in between Ommen and Mariënberg
Hardenberg
Hardenberg is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city of Hardenberg has a population of about 17,200. It received city rights in 1362 from Jan van Arkel, Bishop of Utrecht. The famous Pieterpad also passes through Hardenberg.-Cycling:There are...
indicates the presence of humans, but there seems to have been hardly any cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
or permanent settlement during this period.
The Vecht
Vechte
The Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
(sometimes called the Overijsselse Vecht, to avoid confusion with its namesake
Vecht (Utrecht)
thumb|right|[[Satellite]] [[image]] of the surroundings of [[Utrecht |Utrecht]] showing river Vecht and the [[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]] .220px|thumb|right|Location of river Vecht ....
in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
) and Regge
Regge River
The Regge is a river in Overijssel, the Netherlands, tributary of the Vecht. The source of the Regge is near the town Goor. It flows north through Rijssen, Nijverdal, and Hellendoorn. The Regge joins the Vecht near Ommen....
river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s determined the first settlements in the area that is now the municipality of Ommen. Most of the Salland
Salland
Salland is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. It is probably named after the Salian Franks, who are thought to originate from Salland...
region was marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y but the higher banks along the Vecht and Regge provided fertile soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Moreover, good roads were rare, so for trade, transport and travel the rivers provided a vital infrastructure. The first sporadic agricultural settlements in Salland
Salland
Salland is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. It is probably named after the Salian Franks, who are thought to originate from Salland...
therefore arose along the riverbanks of the Vecht and the Regge. Indeed, all early population centres in the current municipality of Ommen were originally built on riverbanks — with the exception of the town of Lemele
Lemele
Lemele is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 20 km northwest of Almelo.In 2001, the town of Lemele had 405 inhabitants...
, which was situated on the lower slopes of the Lemelerberg, free from flooding by the Regge.
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
in the Vecht facilitating trade routes between the Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
n north and Twente
Twente
Twente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...
to the south. Archeological discoveries indicate that the first settlement at Ommen emerged during the 8th century AD, and by the end of the 11th century a veritable town had developed — among the first in Overijssel. The first permanent settlers in Ommen were mixed crop-livestock farmers who also engaged in river trade and inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
keeping. Most of these first settlers were probably of Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
origin, though the Salians
Salian Franks
The Salian Franks or Salii were a subgroup of the early Franks who originally had been living north of the limes in the area above the Rhine. The Merovingian kings responsible for the conquest of Gaul were Salians. From the 3rd century on, the Salian Franks appear in the historical records as...
who dominated the banks of the IJssel
IJssel
River IJssel , sometimes called Gelderse IJssel to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake in the west of the Netherlands, is a branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel...
also influenced the region economically, politically and religiously. The first houses in Ommen were hutkommen: wooden houses of which the ground floor was typically around half a meter below the ground. A church was built at the heart of Ommen around 1150 and was soon after replaced by a stone church, indicating further growth of the settlement. Written records first mention Ommen as de Vmme in 1133 and as Ummen in 1227.
This gradual growth, however, did not mean Ommen could also dominate the surrounding area politically, as there were many other powers in the land. Above all, the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht, who had obtained dominion over all of Oversticht from Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, in 1010, repeatedly attempted to increase and centralise his authority over the towns and estates of Salland. The burghers
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
of nearby cities — especially Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
— were also known to interfere in the region. More locally, farming communities in the eastern Netherlands organised themselves into markes (autonomous areas) where a buurschap (rule by neighbours) formed a unique kind of grassroots local government. Last but not least, havezates (or castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s) arose in the area surrounding Ommen — especially at strategic points such as the banks of the Vecht (the Arendshorst on the northern bank and Beerze
Beerze
Beerze is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 20 km north of Almelo.The statistical area "Beerze", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 260....
on the southern bank), the banks of the Regge (most notably at Eerde) or both banks ('t Laer) — from which robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
s dominated the surrounding area and could levy tolls on river commerce in defiance of the authority of the bishop. These robber barons and the buurschappen formed a check on the influence of Ommen on the surrounding region — yet it was ironically due to one such robber baron that Ommen grew to become an outright city.
Development into a city
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
and fortification rights
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
from Otto III, the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht, after the town was pillaged by local robber baron Rudolf of Coevorden
Coevorden
Coevorden is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. During the municipal reorganisation in the province in 1998, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo.- Population centers :...
and his militia of freemen in both 1215 and in the aftermath of the Battle of Ane
Battle of Ane
The Battle of Ane was fought in 1227 between Otto II of Lippe, Bishop of Utrecht, and Rudolf II van Coevorden with his army of Drenths.-Background:...
of 1227. Ommen's location at the confluence of two rivers at the heart of the region made it the bishop's strategic and logistic basis in the defence of his domain Oversticht against the rebellious Drents
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...
. Ommen thus became the third-oldest officially recognised city in Overijssel, after Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
and Rijssen
Rijssen
Rijssen is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is part of Rijssen-Holten, one of thirteen municipalities in Twente. It has over 28,000 inhabitants...
.
A wall was soon erected around Ommen, including three gates: the Vechtpoort or Voorbruggenpoort (on the bank of the Vecht), the Varsenerpoort (on the western wall for traffic with Varsen
Varsen
Varsen is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 19 km east of Zwolle.The statistical area "Varsen", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 460....
) and the Arriërpoort (on the northern wall for traffic with Arriën
Arriën
Arriën is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 22 km south of Hoogeveen.The statistical area "Arriën", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 330....
). Even to this day, the two bell
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
s in the church's belltower, named Maria and Salvator and cast in 1517 by Hendrick de Tremonia of Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
, are rung every evening at nine o'clock. These so-called Ave-Maria peals form a custom which traces its origin to the tradition of ringing the bell at the closing of the gates. Ommen never received a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, even though it was permitted one.
Ommen soon became a regional port and market for agricultural products. Due to this commercial growth and strategic commercial position, Ommen eventually joined the prosperous Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
- although most of its trade was not directly with the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
region, but with fellow Hanseatic cities Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, Kampen
Kampen (Overijssel)
Kampen is a municipality, a city and an old Hanseatic city at the lower reaches of the river IJssel in the Dutch province of Overijssel.The municipality of Kampen counts 50,073 inhabitants in an area of approximately 162 km² . Kampen is located in the North West of Overijssel and is the...
, Zutphen and especially Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
, of which it was a subsidiary city. A toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
across the Vecht (first built in 1492) further increased its wealth and commercial importance, even though the toll bridge across the Vecht was destroyed by ice floes three times through the centuries. The toll
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
levy was usually auctioned off to private tax collectors, who resided in the toll house (built in 1531) next to the bridge. A bridge toll would be levied until 1925.
For centuries during the Middle Ages, the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of Oversticht, a diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
or feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
representing the quarters of Salland
Salland
Salland is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. It is probably named after the Salian Franks, who are thought to originate from Salland...
, Twenthe
Twente
Twente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...
and Vollenhove
Vollenhove
Vollenhove is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk. Until the Noordoostpolder was drained, it was located on the coast of the IJsselmeer....
(and until 1527 also Drenthe) and the cities of Zwolle, Deventer and Kampen, convened just outside of the city of Ommen at Nieuwebrug (or New Bridge), named after the bridge over the Regge
Regge River
The Regge is a river in Overijssel, the Netherlands, tributary of the Vecht. The source of the Regge is near the town Goor. It flows north through Rijssen, Nijverdal, and Hellendoorn. The Regge joins the Vecht near Ommen....
on the road between Ommen and Hellendoorn
Hellendoorn
Hellendoorn is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Dutch province of Overijssel.- Population centres :The municipality comprises:Towns:* Hellendoorn* NijverdalHamlets:* Daarle* Daarlerveen* Eelen en Rhaan* Egede* Haarle* Hancate...
. Following a feud between Kampen and Zwolle in 1519, however, a gathering of the Estates was attacked by citizens of neighbouring Zwolle, who abducted three noblemen
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
and pillaged nearby Eerde castle. During the years that followed, conflict
Guelderian Wars
The Guelderian Wars were a series of conflicts in the Low Countries between the Duke of Burgundy, who controlled Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Hainaut, and Charles, Duke of Guelders, who controlled Guelders, Groningen and Frisia....
escalated in Overijssel.
War and disaster
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
attacked and pillaged Ommen with the aid of Charles
Charles, Duke of Guelders
Charles of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen between 1492 and his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon...
of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
who thus conquered the city from Utrecht. Only the church and women's home de Heilige Geest (the Holy Spirit) survived the pillage and fire.
Ommen remained part of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
until 1528, when emperor
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
inherited authority over the entire Duchy of Guelders, including Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
. A new city hall was built in 1531 in between the church and the Vrijthof square. The city was pillaged again in 1568 by Spanish troops under the 'Iron' Duke of Alba
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
, fighting for Charles's successor, Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
of Spain
Habsburg Spain
Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...
. This time, the pillage was not as devastating: Ommen's church, city hall and several other main buildings were spared. In 1581, the Estates of Overijssel convened outside Ommen to depose Philip and proclaim the independence of the Netherlands.
Though a 'Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
' for the young Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, the 17th century proved rather devastating for Ommen. A great fire in 1624 inflicted serious damage on the church, of which only the foundations and a few walls remained. To control traffic and to prevent military invasions from the north, the fortification of Ommerschans was constructed. In 1672, one of the most severe fires in Ommen's history raged through the entire city, destroying everything but the church. In that same year, the aptly named 'Rampjaar
Rampjaar
The rampjaar was the year 1672 in Dutch history. In that year,the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was after the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War attacked by England, France, and the prince-electors Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster and Maximilian Henry of...
' (disaster year), the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
broke out, and until 1674 foreign troops (especially from Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
) frequently marched through Ommen, demanding passage, payment, food and lodging. It was not until 1753 that Ommen had sufficiently recovered to afford a new city hall, built at the Vrijthof square, on the same location as the previous building.
During the so-called 'periwig era' of decline in the Netherlands, discontent with oligarchical rule also increased in Ommen. In 1732, the citizens of Ommen rose up against the city council. A petition was handed to the Magistrate on May 31, in which a large share of the citizenry rejected its authority and asked it to resign. The council refused and severe riots ensued, but eventually order was restored. In 1762, a night guard was installed to maintain public order, but the unrest would remain until the Batavian revolution
Batavian revolution
The term Batavian revolution refers to the political, social and cultural turmoil that marked the end of the Dutch Republic at the end of the 18th century...
of 1795.
Ommen in modern times
On March 2, 1809 the municipal authorities prepared a welcome for the visit of Lodewijk NapoleonLouis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
, king of the short-lived Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
. They were disappointed when they found out the king had already passed Ommen the day before. The three burgomasters quickly pursued the king and met with his party near Gramsbergen
Gramsbergen
Gramsbergen is a small Dutch town on the Vechte, located in the municipality of Hardenberg and the province of Overijssel. The town is located on corridors of different transportation modes: The N34 , the Zwolle - Emmen railway and the Almelo - de Haandrik canal.-History:Gramsbergen and its hamlets...
, still receiving a gift of 1000 Dutch guilder
Guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s for the well-intended preparations for his visit.
When his brother Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
annexed the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
into the French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
in 1810, he had all local government radically reformed to become compatible with French structures. Ommen too was affected: the separate jurisdictions of Stad Ommen
Stad Ommen
Stad Ommen is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consisted of the city of Ommen and the village of Ommerschans.It existed from 1818 to 1923, when it merged with the municipality of Ambt Ommen, which covered the surrounding countryside....
(composed of the city of Ommen and the Ommerschans) and Ambt Ommen
Ambt Ommen
Ambt Ommen is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consisted of the countryside surrounding the city of Ommen, which was a separate municipality.Ambt Ommen existed from 1818 to 1923, when it became a part of Ommen....
(which comprised most of the rest of the current municipality, Avereest
Avereest
Avereest is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. The largest town in the municipality was Dedemsvaart.In 2001, the area became a part of Hardenberg.-External links: Map of the former municipality, around 1868....
and Den Ham
Den Ham
Den Ham is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Twenterand, about 15 km northwest of Almelo....
as well) were merged into one Mairie Ommen (though Den Ham
Den Ham
Den Ham is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Twenterand, about 15 km northwest of Almelo....
became a separate municipality). This caused much controversy and discontent locally because the marke communities thus lost their ancient rights of self-governance. In 1818, shortly after Dutch independence, Mairie Ommen was once more decentralised into the municipalities Stad Ommen, Ambt Ommen and Avereest. To ensure good coordination, one burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
was appointed over both Stad and Ambt from 1851 onwards.
To safeguard the eastern borders of the newly established Kingdom of the Netherlands, plans were drawn by order of Baron Krayenhoff
Cornelis Rudolphus Theodorus Krayenhoff
Cornelis Rudolphus Theodorus, Baron Krayenhoff was a physicist, artist, general, hydraulic engineer, cartographer and - against his will and for only a short time - Dutch Minister of War.-Biography:...
in 1819 to convert Ommen into a city with fortifications. However, these radical plans (Ontwerp ter bevestiging van Ommen 1819) were not carried out in the end, as the IJssel
IJssel
River IJssel , sometimes called Gelderse IJssel to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake in the west of the Netherlands, is a branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel...
river to the west was considered a more natural line of defence.
Although renovated and expanded in 1758, the toll house next to the bridge (also called the bridge master's house) was torn down in 1827 to be replaced by a new city hall, designed by the architect J.P. Orentzburg. This new building, situated on the bank of the Vecht, housed all offices of the municipal authorities — including the city council, the court, the tax and toll office, the Gentlemen's Society and the home of the burgomaster. The court moved to a new building in 1882. The burgomaster and the Gentlemen's Society moved soon afterwards. The city hall was renovated and expanded in 1925 and again in 1955. The municipal authorities left the building in 1982. It has since been converted into a museum and a restaurant.
Dalfsen
Dalfsen is a municipality and a town in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel.The present municipality of Dalfsen was created on 1 January 2001 through the merger of the municipalities of Nieuwleusen and Dalfsen....
in 1997.
On the night of 6 February 1972, a Palestine
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
organisation named Black September
Black September (group)
The Black September Organization was a Palestinian paramilitary group, founded in 1970. It was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials, and fatal shooting of a West German policeman, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, their most publicized event...
attempted to blow up a natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
at a distribution hub near Ommen, but not all explosives were detonated. A blue bag filled with explosives was found after the explosion, next to a three meter wide crater. During the same night there were also attacks in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and the Dutch village of Ravenstein
Ravenstein, Netherlands
Ravenstein is a city and a former municipality in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. The former municipality covered an area of 42.68 km²...
— and later that year, Black September also caused the Munich Massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
.
Eerde
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
in the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style managed by the Natuurmonumenten
Natuurmonumenten
Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland is a Dutch organisation founded in 1905 by Jac. P. Thijsse, that buys, protects and manages nature reserves in the Netherlands. It was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer in 1986....
foundation since 1965.
The name "Eerde" is a Saxon word meaning "earth". The first castle on this site was built in the 14th century, but was soon destroyed by the bishop
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht
The Archdiocese of Utrecht is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for 6 suffragans, the dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch....
's men in 1380 — along with the fortifications of the town of Ommen. In the centuries since, the Van Twickelo, Van Renesse
Van Renesse
Van Renesse is an old Dutch aristocratic family that stems from the town of Renesse in Zeeland.-History:There is some debate regarding the origin of the family; some historians claim that they are the Renesse family was a branch of the German Sayn dynasty. The family played an important role as...
and Van Pallandt families have lived in castles on this site. The castle was used by the famous philosopher and spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
, of whom Baron Philip van Pallandt
Philip baron van Pallandt
Philip Dirk baron van Pallandt, heer van Eerde was a Scoutmaster in the early years of Dutch scouting. He was the owner of Gilwell Ada's Hoeve on his Eerde Estate, which he gave to Scouting in 1923....
was an avid follower, from about 1924 to just before the start of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Van Pallandt granted Krishnamurti a territory at the Besthemerberg
Besthmen
Besthmen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 22 km east of Zwolle....
, north of Eerde. There Krishnamurti held his Order of the Star in the East
Order of the Star in the East
The Order of the Star in the East was an organization established by the leadership of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, India, from 1911 to 1927...
lectures and meetings in front of audiences of thousands of people from dozens of countries.
During the Second World War, a Nazi concentration camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
, Kamp Erika
Kamp Erika
Kamp Erika was during the Second World War, a Nazi concentration camp, Arbeitseinsatzlager Erika, was situated at the Besthemerberg. Only eight Jews were detained here; the camp was designated mostly for Dutchmen convicted of black market trade or resistance to the occupational authorities...
, was situated at the Besthemerberg. Only eight Jews were detained here; the camp was designated mostly for Dutchmen convicted of black market trade or resistance to the occupational authorities. The camp was notorious for the brutal behaviour of its personnel, leading Dutch judges to refuse to send convicts there in 1943. The camp was turned into an Arbeitserziehungslager mostly for those refusing to do forced labour, but in the fall of 1944 it once again became a penal camp. The camp was liberated on 11 April 1945. From 1945 to 1946, the camp was instead used to detain Dutchmen who had collaborated
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
with the German occupiers. Their treatment was not much better.
Nowadays the castle houses the private international boarding school Eerde, which offers the IB
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...
programme.
Ommerschans
Ommerschans
Ommerschans is a former bulwark in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Ommen, and lies about 16 km south of Hoogeveen....
was a fortress built in 1628 as part of a defence line to defend the northern provinces of Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
and Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
from the marauding count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Hendrik van den Bergh
Hendrik van den Bergh (count)
Hendrik, count van den Bergh , lord of Stevensweert, was a Dutch soldier in Spanish service during the Eighty Years' War and stadhouder of Spanish Upper Guelders.-Life:...
(in Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
service) after the expiration of the Twelve Years' Truce
Twelve Years' Truce
The Twelve Years' Truce was the name given to the cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic as agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609. It was a watershed in the Eighty Years' War, marking the point from which the independence of the...
. Hendrik, a nephew of William of Orange
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
, then defected to the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
in 1633.
The defences of the Ommerschans were restrengthened in the middle of the 17th century to deter and halt a possible invasion from the German states. Despite these new fortifications, the Ommerschans was captured without any resistance when the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s Bernhard von Galen
Bernhard von Galen
Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen was prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family....
of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and Maximilian Henry
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria
thumb|154 px|Maximilian Heinrich of BavariaMaximilian Henry of Bavaria was the third son and fourth child of Albert VI, landgrave of Leuchtenberg and his wife, Mechthilde von Leuchtenberg. In 1650, he was named Archbishop of Cologne, Bishop of Hildesheim and Bishop of Liège succeeding his uncle,...
of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
invaded in 1672, the so-called rampjaar
Rampjaar
The rampjaar was the year 1672 in Dutch history. In that year,the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was after the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War attacked by England, France, and the prince-electors Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster and Maximilian Henry of...
(or disaster year) that started the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
. The 146 musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
s and 55 pikemen
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
stationed at the Ommerschans fled north, only to return later that year when the bishops retreated after their failed siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of the northern city of Groningen.
Under pressure from the citizens of Ommen and after the Peace of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
of 1713, the fortress was closed down in 1715, only to be reinstated as a fortified arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
in 1740 when war
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
reignited in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
. During the Patriot Revolt
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
of 1787, militias from Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, Kampen
Kampen (Overijssel)
Kampen is a municipality, a city and an old Hanseatic city at the lower reaches of the river IJssel in the Dutch province of Overijssel.The municipality of Kampen counts 50,073 inhabitants in an area of approximately 162 km² . Kampen is located in the North West of Overijssel and is the...
and Vollenhove
Vollenhove
Vollenhove is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk. Until the Noordoostpolder was drained, it was located on the coast of the IJsselmeer....
conquered and pillaged the Ommerschans, stealing all its weaponry to help them in their paramilitary struggle against the regime
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. The Ommerschans fortification became abandoned and would never again be used for military purposes.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and other western cities. They were supposed to learn farming and morals by experience so they could reintegrate into society. In reality the beggars were used for semi-forced and all-but-unpaid labour to reclaim
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
the wetlands surrounding Ommerschans, eventually reclaiming an area of 4 by 2½ kilometres. Politician and novelist Jacob van Lennep
Jacob van Lennep
Jacob van Lennep was a Dutch poet and novelist.-Early years:He was born in Amsterdam, where his father, David Jacob van Lennep , a scholar and poet, was professor of eloquence and the classical languages in the Atheneum...
visited Ommerschans during his walking tour with Dirk van Hogendorp
Dirk van Hogendorp (1797-1845)
Dirk, Count van Hogendorp , son of Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp, nephew of Dirk van Hogendorp , father of Dirk van Hogendorp jr., was a Dutch jurist. Van Hogendorp lived continually in the shadow of his father, the founder of the first Dutch Constitution.-Life:Van Hogendorp, studied law at Leiden...
across the newly independent United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
in the summer of 1823, and documented his appal at the conditions at the labour camp: "These hours are certainly among the saddest I have lived through."
When the institution went bankrupt in 1859 the Dutch government managed the labour camp until 1889, when it was finally closed down. During its years in operation, between several hundred and two thousand workers would live at Ommerschans at any one time, and an estimated 5448 workers died whilst interned there.
Location, economy and infrastructure
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
and 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) north-east of fellow Hanseatic city
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
. It lies on the north bank of the Vecht
Vechte
The Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
river, not far from where the Regge
Regge River
The Regge is a river in Overijssel, the Netherlands, tributary of the Vecht. The source of the Regge is near the town Goor. It flows north through Rijssen, Nijverdal, and Hellendoorn. The Regge joins the Vecht near Ommen....
river merges with this stream. Only smaller ships and yachts can use these waterways.
Because Ommen is a rural municipality, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
are the pillars of the local economy. The beautiful forests and hilly heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
s of Ommen attract many nature-seeking visitors. The city of Ommen has several hotels and in the surrounding area there are fifteen campgrounds. Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve is the oldest Dutch national Scouting campsite, and from July 1923 until the 1960s hosted the Wood Badge trainings for Scouting leadership in the Netherlands. The site was founded as a Scouting campsite in 1923 by Philip baron van Pallandt on his Eerde Estate in Ommen...
on the left bank of the Vecht was the first Scouting campground in the Netherlands. Ommen also has a small marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
.
Since 15 January 1903, Ommen has had a railway station
Ommen railway station
Ommen is a railway station at Ommen, The Netherlands. The station is located 1 km south of the town center. The station was opened on 15 January 1903 and is located on the Zwolle–Emmen railway...
designed by Eduard Cuypers
Eduard Cuypers
Eduard Cuypers was a Dutch architect.Cuypers was trained in the architectural practice of his uncle P.J.H. Cuypers and in 1881 set up his own office in Amsterdam. His good contacts with businessmen earned him commissions for offices, shops and houses...
. It is situated one kilometer from the centre on the opposite side of the Vecht
Vechte
The Vechte or Vecht , often called Overijsselse Vecht in the Netherlands to avoid confusion with its Utrecht counterpart, is a river in Germany and the Netherlands...
. The station is on the (minor) Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
-Emmen line and trains stop roughly twice an hour. Ommen also used to have direct railway links to Stadskanaal
Stadskanaal
Stadskanaal is a Canal, municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The area is known for its peat mining.- Population centres :...
and to Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
via Raalte
Raalte
Raalte is a municipality and city in the heart of the region of Salland in the Dutch province of Overijssel.-Population centres:The municipality consists of the following towns and villages.-Transportation:* Railway stations: Heino, Raalte...
, which were abandoned when they lost their importance due to the emergence of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. Early plans to establish railway lines from Ommen to Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
and to Hellendoorn
Hellendoorn
Hellendoorn is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Dutch province of Overijssel.- Population centres :The municipality comprises:Towns:* Hellendoorn* NijverdalHamlets:* Daarle* Daarlerveen* Eelen en Rhaan* Egede* Haarle* Hancate...
were abandoned for that same reason.
An important infrastructural problem is the N34 road from Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
via Emmen to Groningen, which crosses the city of Ommen. One of its main crossroads, near the Vecht bridge is a bottleneck that causes frequent traffic congestion. The government is rerouting the N34 road north of the city, in order to reduce crosstown traffic.
Local politics
The current burgomasterBurgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
is Mr. Gerrit Jan Kok (VVD
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
). He was appointed by the crown in January 2007 to replace Arend ten Oever (CDA
CDA
-Associations:*Club de Deportes Antofagasta, is a Chilean football club based in the city of Antofagasta.*Chinese Daoist Association-Industry Organisations:*Canadian Dental Association, an association of dentists in Canada*Canadian Dinghy Association...
), after consultation with the citizens of Ommen.
The last municipal elections were in March 2010. The seventeen seats in Ommen's municipal council were divided as follows:
- CDA: 5 seats
- Local Party Ommen (LPO): 4 seats
- VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
: 3 seats - ChristianUnionChristianUnionThe ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
: 2 seats - Democrats: 2 seats
- Labour: 1 seat
The current College of Burgomaster and Aldermen (the municipal executive) is supported by the four coalition parties
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
: CDA
CDA
-Associations:*Club de Deportes Antofagasta, is a Chilean football club based in the city of Antofagasta.*Chinese Daoist Association-Industry Organisations:*Canadian Dental Association, an association of dentists in Canada*Canadian Dinghy Association...
, VVD
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
, ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
and Labour - each of which provides one alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
.
Bissing
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
and market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s. These yearly markets have been organised on the second Tuesday of July since at least 1557. The Bissing lasted three days from Monday till Wednesday. Its success was based on the wide array of products on offer and a relaxation of excise
Excise
Excise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
s and regulation on alcoholic consumption, attracting merchants and consumers to Ommen from far and wide. In the 19th century it became one of the main markets in the province of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
, and there would often be brawl
Brawling (legal definition)
Brawling , in law, was the offence of quarrelling, or creating a disturbance in a church or churchyard. Brawling was covered in ecclesiastic courts until 1860...
s and riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
s. In 1918, the council of Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
asked the town council to end the public events surrounding the Bissing for moral reasons. The town council complied and the Bissing activities were suspended until 1958, although the market continued.
Nowadays the Bissing has become a major tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
, lasting for five consecutive Wednesdays after the initial market and comprising a wide array of ceremonies, fairs, concerts, funfairs and activities.
The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the word Bissing is widely discussed. Some believe it is derived from 'Bishop's day', in recognition of the granting of Ommen's town rights, whilst others believe the Low-Saxon word is related to the English word business.
Language
Most inhabitants of Ommen speak DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, but many will also speak Low Saxon
Dutch Low Saxon
Dutch Low Saxon is a group of Low Saxon, i.e. West Low German dialects spoken in the northeastern Netherlands. In comparison, the remainder of the Netherlands speak a collection of Low Franconian dialects.The class "Dutch Low Saxon" is not unanimous...
or Plat — an ancient language related to Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
and Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
which is indigenous to the north-east of the Netherlands
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...
. The dialect of Plat spoken in Ommen is Sallands
Sallands
Sallaans is a collective term for the Dutch Low Saxon dialects of the region Salland, in the west of the province of Overijssel, which is in the eastern Netherlands. A common term used by native speakers for their dialect, which is also used by Low Saxon speakers from other regions for their...
. Although both the national government and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
recognise Plat as a regional language
Regional language
A regional language is a language spoken in an area of a nation state, whether it be a small area, a federal state or province, or some wider area....
, it is considered by many to be a mere dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of Dutch, and its popularity is waning rapidly, even compared to Twents
Twents
Tweants is a Dutch Low Saxon group of dialects, descending from Old Saxon. It is spoken by approximately 62% of the population of Twente, a region in the Dutch province of Overijssel bordering on Germany. Its speakers also refer to Twents as plat or simply dialect. A widespread misconception is...
. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
are also widely spoken as second languages.
The poet Johanna van Buren died in Ommen in 1962. Her Plat poetry in the Salland
Sallands
Sallaans is a collective term for the Dutch Low Saxon dialects of the region Salland, in the west of the province of Overijssel, which is in the eastern Netherlands. A common term used by native speakers for their dialect, which is also used by Low Saxon speakers from other regions for their...
and Twents
Twents
Tweants is a Dutch Low Saxon group of dialects, descending from Old Saxon. It is spoken by approximately 62% of the population of Twente, a region in the Dutch province of Overijssel bordering on Germany. Its speakers also refer to Twents as plat or simply dialect. A widespread misconception is...
dialect is still popular throughout Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
. The Johanna van Buren Cultural Prize is awarded once every three years to a person who contributed to the regional culture of the Eastern Netherlands.
Religion
Ommen has a reasonable mix of churches, with sizable Roman CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, Dutch Protestant
Protestant Church in the Netherlands
The Protestant Church in the Netherlands is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the Netherlands. With 2,000 congregations and a membership of some 1.8 million , it is the second largest church in the Netherlands after the Roman Catholic Church.It was founded 1 May 2004 as a merger of...
and Liberated Reformed (Gereformeerd Vrijgemaakt) congregations.
Ommen was built around the old church at its centre, built around 1150, first mentioned in 1238 and severely damaged by fires in 1330 and 1624. The church was converted to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
of the 16th century, and it was not until the constitutional reforms of 1853 that the Roman Catholicism was once again openly practiced in Ommen and not until 1860 that a new Roman Catholic church was founded in the centre of Ommen. The village of Vilsteren to the west of Ommen, however, had remained entirely Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
throughout the centuries.
The famous preacher and dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
Albertus van Raalte
Albertus van Raalte
Albertus Christiaan van Raalte was an 19th century pastor in the Reformed Church in America...
lived and worked in Ommen between 1839 and 1844, before he and his congregation moved to America to found the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
and the city of Holland, Michigan
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
.
Most of the Jews of Ommen were murdered in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, as were the majority of the Dutch Jews.
Sights
- The church in the centre, built in 1150 but rebuilt and renovated regularly, is by far the oldest building in Ommen.
- The National Tin Figurine Museum in the former Town Hall has over 200,000 figurines and panoramas, including four panoramas of the Battle of AneBattle of AneThe Battle of Ane was fought in 1227 between Otto II of Lippe, Bishop of Utrecht, and Rudolf II van Coevorden with his army of Drenths.-Background:...
. - Ommen has five windmillWindmillA windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s, of which three are in the town itself: the Lelie (1846, still in full operation), Den Oordt (1842, operates weekly) and the Konijnenbelt (1806, out of commission). VilsterenVilsterenVilsteren is a village in the municipality of Ommen in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is situated just off the left bank of the Vecht in between Dalfsen and Ommen, about 17 kilometres east of the provincial capital of Zwolle....
has its own windmill (1858, recently recommissioned), as does the hamlet of Besthem (1862, recently renovated). The Besthemermolen also houses the Nature Information Centre with expositions about Ommen's diverse landscapeLandscapeLandscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
and ecosystemEcosystemAn ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. - The small Regional Museum in Ommen explains Ommen's customs and history.
- The estates of the VilsterenVilsterenVilsteren is a village in the municipality of Ommen in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is situated just off the left bank of the Vecht in between Dalfsen and Ommen, about 17 kilometres east of the provincial capital of Zwolle....
and Eerde castles are open to the public. - The PieterpadPieterpadThe Pieterpad is a long distance walking route in the Netherlands. The trail runs from Pieterburen, in the northern part of Groningen, south through the eastern part of the Netherlands to end just south of Maastricht, on the top of Mount Saint Peter , at a height of...
rambling trail (the most popular trail in the Netherlands) passes through Ommen.
Famous inhabitants of Ommen
- Albertus van RaalteAlbertus van RaalteAlbertus Christiaan van Raalte was an 19th century pastor in the Reformed Church in America...
(1811–1876), preacher and founder of Holland, MichiganHolland, MichiganHolland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River .... - August Pieter van Groeningen (1866–1894), writer
- Johanna van Buren (1881–1981), poet
- C.J.E. Dinaux (1898) - 1980), writer
- Edward TopEdward TopSiemon Edward Top is a Dutch composer.Top studied violin and composition with Peter-Jan Wagemans at the Rotterdam Conservatoire. He won the Dutch prize for composition in 1999. He also studied composition with Klaas de Vries...
(1972), composer
Twin towns — Sister cities
Ommen is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Recke
Recke
Recke is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Recke is situated approx. 20 km north-east of Rheine and 25 km north-west of Osnabrück.-Neighbouring municipalities:* Ibbenbüren* Hopsten...
in neighbouring
Euroregion
In European politics, the term Euroregion usually refers to a transnational co-operation structure between two contiguous territories located in different European countries. Euroregions represent a specific type of cross-border region.-Scope:...
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 1989) Żnin
Żnin
Żnin is a small town in Poland with a population of 14,558 . It is in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the capital of Żnin County. The town is situated in the historic land of Pałuki and the Gniezno Lake Area on the river Gąsawka.-Etymology:The name originates from the Polish word...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(since 1991)
External links
- Official Website (Dutch)
- Website Mooi Ommen! (English)
- Ommen Regional Museum (Dutch)
- Ommen Historical Society (Dutch)
- International School Eerde (English)
- Ommen Tin Figurine Museum (English)
- Ommen Tourist Office (Dutch; summary in German)
- SONT: Streektaal-Organisaties in het Nedersaksisch Taalgebied (Low Saxon)