Drenthe

Drenthe [ˈdrɛn.tə] ( listen) is a province o the Netherlands, locatit in the north-east o the kintra. The caipital ceety is Assen. It is bordered bi Overijssel tae the sooth, Friesland tae the wast, Groningen tae the north, an Germany (destricts o Emsland an Bentheim) tae the east.

Drenthe
Province
Banner Coat airms
Anthem: Mijn Drenthe
Location o Drenthe in the Netherlands
Kintra	Netherlands
Inclusion	1796
Caipital	Assen
Lairgest ceety	Assen
Govrenment
• Queen's Commissioner	Jetta Klijnsma (PvdA)
Area
• Land	2,642 km2 (1,020 sq mi)
• Water	38 km2 (15 sq mi)
Area rank	7t
Population  (2010)
• Land	489,918
• Rank	10t
• Density	190/km2 (480/sq mi)
• Density rank	12t
ISO 3166 code	NL-DR
Religion (2005)	Protestant 22.7% Catholic 7.6% Muslim 1.7%
Website	www.drenthe.nl

History

Drenthe, unlike mony ither pairts o the Netherlands, haes been a spairsely populatit rural aurie syne medieval times. Except for some industry in Assen an Emmen, the lands in Drenthe are mainly uised for fermin.

Drenthe haes been populatit bi fowk syne prehistory. Airtifacts frae the Wolstonian Stage (150.000 years ago) are amang the auldest foond in the Netherlands. In fact it wis ane o the maist densely populatit auries o the Netherlands till the Bronze Age. Maist tangible evidence o this are the dolmens (hunebedden) built aroond 3500 BC, 53 o the 54 dolmens in the Netherlands can be foond in Drenthe, concentratit in the northeast o the province.

Drenthe wis first mentioned in a document frae the year 820, it wis cried Pago Treanth (destrict Drenthe). In archives frae "Het Utrechts Archief" frae 1024 tae 1025 the "coonty Drenthe" is mentioned, when Emperor Henry II gave it tae Bishop Adalbold II o Utrecht.

Efter lang being subject tae the Utrecht diocese, Bishop Henry o Wittelsbach in 1528 ceded Drenthe tae Emperor Charles V o Habsburg, who incorporatit it intae the Habsburg Netherlands. When the Republic o the Seiven Unitit Provinces wis declared in 1581, Drenthe became pairt o it, although it did no gain provincial status till 1 Januar 1796 due tae its poverty.

Shortly afore the ootbreak o the Seicont World War, the Dutch govrenment built a camp near the toun o Hooghalen to accommodate German (Jewish) refugees. Ironically, during the Seicont Warld War, the German occupeers uised the camp (which they namit KZ Westerbork) as a "Durchgangslager" (transit camp). Mony Dutch Jews, Sinti, Roma, resistance combatants an poleetical adversaries wur impreesoned afore being transferred tae concentration an extermination camps in Germany an Poland. Anne Frank wis deportit on the last train leavin the Westerbork transit camp, on 3 September 1944.

The name of this region is said to stem from *thrija-hantja "three lands".

Gallery

• 
  't Hoes van Hol-An Oud Aalden 11, Aalden in Drenthe
• 
  Firthen "heidstanes" at the graveyard o Veenhuizen, Drenthe

Politics

The provincial cooncil (Provinciale Staten) haes 51 seats, an is heidit by the Queen's Commissioner, currently Jacques Tichelaar. While the provincial cooncil is electit bi the inhabitants, the Commissioner is appointit bi the Queen an the cabinet o the Netherlands. Wi 19 seats, the social democratic PvdA is the lairgest pairty in the cooncil. The daily affairs o the province are taken care o bi the Gedeputeerde Staten, which are heidit bi the Commissioner; its members (gedeputeerden) can be compared wi meenisters.

Map o Drenthe

Municipalities

Due tae reorganisations in the 1990s, the number o municipalities in Drenthe haes been reducit tae twal. Maist municipalities therefore nou consist o several touns an veelages.

• Aa en Hunze
• Assen
• Borger-Odoorn
• Coevorden
• De Wolden
• Emmen
• Hoogeveen
• Meppel
• Midden-Drenthe
• Noordenveld
• Tynaarlo
• Westerveld

Geography

Besides the caipital Assen in the north the major urban centres o the province are Emmen, Meppel, Hoogeveen an Coevorden, aw in the sooth. Drenthe consists maistly o heathland an haes nae significant rivers or lakes.

Economy

Agricultur is an important employer, although industrial auries are foond near the ceeties. The quietness o the province is attractin a growin number o tourists an aw.

Drenthe is kent as the "Cyclin Province" o the Netherlands an is an exceptional place for a cyclin holiday, haein hunders o kilometres o cycle paths through forest, heath an alang canals an mony touns an veelages afferin refreshment alang the wey.

Leid

Ower hauf the population o Drenthe speaks the Drents leid. Each toun or veelage haes its awn version. Aw versions are pairt o the Low Saxon leid group. Dutch Law Saxon haes been offeecially recognisit bi the Dutch govrenment as a regional leid an is protectit bi the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Freemit airtins

• Offeecial wabsteid
• The Drentse Fietsvierdaagse, the maist famous o aw fietsvierdaagses o the Netherlands.