Sleen
Encyclopedia
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...
, 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...
of about 2500 people. Sleen has been inhabited for centuries. Much ancient history can be found in the area, particularly in the forests (which are planted, though). At birth and during the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden (Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (1581-1795)). Sleen became the capital of one of the six “dingspels” (administrative areas) of Drenthe. When Drenthe was recognised as a province, Sleen became a municipality capital, before it merged into the municipality 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 :...
.
Sleen has a 450-year-old church. At about 56 meters, it is the highest church in the entire province. Nowadays, it functions as a 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...
. There is also another Protestant church in the village.
Nowadays, Sleen has its own supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
(behind the former police station), library, fish shop, café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, a few other shops, hair salons, petrol station, sports park, horse riding school, houses for the elderly, and other facilities.
There are also two schools: CBS “de Fontein” (Christian primary school) and OBS “de Akker” (public primary school).
“De Brink” is the “centre” and the old part of the village, with some historic houses and a brick road. This is also where the two churches are, and other facilities like the former municipal centre. New houses were constructed over time, and an area known as “de nieuwbouw” is where the most recently constructed houses can be found.
The famous Pieterpad
Pieterpad
The 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...
(a long hiking route that runs from Pieterburen
Pieterburen
The small village of Pieterburen is situated in the northern part of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. Pieterburen is part of the municipality of De Marne.Pieterburen is situated on the ‘Hogeland’ of Groningen...
in the north of the country to the St Pietersberg in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
in the south) goes straight through Sleen. The windmill De Hoop
De Hoop, Sleen
De Hoop is a smock mill in Sleen, Drenthe, the Netherlands, which has been restored to working order. The mill was built in 1914 and is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 33787.-History:...
has been restored to working order.