DRENTHE - Geography and history
Drenthe was first settled by mammoth hunters some 60 000 years ago. Its later inhabitants were probably the first farmers, who 5 000 years ago must have built the mysterious 'giant graves' constructed of enormous boulders. These monuments still stand scattered about the rolling Drenthe countryside, which itself was formed in the Ice Age. The relief can best be compared to an upturned soup plate with the high central area sloping away to all sides. The scenery is made up of woods, peat lands, moors and brooks which wind their way through the countryside. The people of Drenthe, one of the three northern provinces, have had a long history of poverty. The poor agricultural soil frequently did not yield enough to prevent the farmers from starving. The people often lived in turf huts and supplemented their incomes through peat-cutting. After the Second World War this all changed for good. Whereas in 1990 three-quarters of the total surface area was still used for agriculture, towns such as Assen (the regional capital), Emmen, Meppel and Hoogeveen play an important role in the economy, and are home to around half of the region's population and half of its enterprises.
Opening up to the outside
One of the effects of European unification is the increasing significance of external markets, which is a positive development for Drenthe. Drenthe lies on the periphery of the internal market, but the importance of the external, and especially German, market means that it is adopting a more central role. Within a radius of 250 km there are a number of important economic centres: Hamburg, Hanover, the Ruhr, Antwerp and the Randstad Holland, the major conurbation in the west of the Netherlands. The road links with these areas are generally good, with the exception of those with the Ruhr and Hanover. The extension of the airport at Eelde should also soon make it easy to reach Drenthe from various European capitals.
The low level of urbanization means that, with the exception of towns such as Emmen, the economic structure is rather flimsy. Although the basis for developing services is, therefore, somewhat limited, it does also mean that Drenthe can still be described as peaceful, spacious and green. Urban development in Drenthe has not yet reached the level of city-scale amenities, but these can be found in abundance in nearby Groningen. The varied landscape offers considerable scope for leisure activities and makes for an excellent living environment. Traffic congestion is an alien concept here.
The three faces of Drenthe
The development of north Drenthe, where the capital Assen is situated, is influenced by the fact that it lies right next to the city of Groningen. Increased mobility and prosperity have prompted many people to choose this attractive area as their home, and several thousand commute daily from Drenthe to Groningen.
The services sectors are important in north Drenthe. Along with the various public services, Assen contains a number of health-care institutes and is the shopping centre for a wide area. Unemployment here has always been relatively low compared with the region.
The development of south-east Drenthe, whose main centre is Emmen, was determined by peat extraction before the war. It has since developed into one of the main industrial centres in the north of the Netherlands. At the same time, the services sector in Emmen has expanded considerably over the last decade and is continuing to do so. One recent development has been greenhouse horticulture, and a number of transport and distributive activities are centred in Coevorden. Despite these positive developments, unemployment is relatively high in this area.
The main activities in South-west Drenthe are light industry and tourism.
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