Directly on the Eastern border of the Netherlands lies Enschede, a characteristic, modern and lively university town. Elegant historic buildings in the town and surrounding area are evocative of Enschede’s rich textile past. Some of the town’s most notable monuments are the beautiful town hall, several beautiful churches and a unique synagogue.
At the same time, large scale urban renewal has given Enschede a new skyline with eye-catching, contemporary architecture. This can easily be seen in “Roombeek”, the area that was destroyed by the fireworks explosion in 2000, but which has since been rebuilt into a lively new neighbourhood.
Roombeek
Besides the familiar large department stores, a number of specialist shops have also established themselves around the “Van Heekplein”, making Enschede the ultimate shopping city of the east, with on Tuesdays and Saturdays the largest open market of the east of The Netherlands on Van Heekplein.
Enschede also has a lot to offer for those who enjoy culture, wining & dining and a night on the town. Many bars and restaurants can be found on the “Oude Markt” around the “Grote Kerk”.
Grote Kerk, Oude Markt
The early history of Enschede in The Netherlands is largely unknown, but a settlement existed around the Old Marketplace in early medieval times. The name of this settlement is mentioned as Anescede or Enscede meaning either “near the border” (with Bentheim, Germany ) or “near the Es” and sported a church, a marketplace and a fortified aristocratic house.
Enschede was granted city rights around 1300.
Map of Enschede 1570
The town suffered from a series of fires in 1517, 1750 and again in 1862, destroying the mainly wooden buildings.
The last fire in 1862 coincided with the growth of the textile industry, originally a cottage industry. Especially the manufacture of bombazijn (a mixture of cotton and linen) proved an export hit.
In World War II, Enschede was one of the first Dutch cities to be captured by German troops and was bombed on several occasions.
In the 1970s the textile production in Enschede came to a halt, due to fierce competition from mainly the Far East. This had a profound effect on the populace. Enschede became one of the poorest municipalities in the Netherlands and went bankrupt. Large areas of industrial wasteland came to mark the city.
With the support of the national government, these areas were acquired and rebuilt. The city center was rendered a car-free zone and is now a very pleasant shopping or for a night on the town.
A more recent historical event took place on 13 May 2000 when a fireworks storage depot in Enschede exploded, destroying the entire neighborhood of Roombeek and killing 23 people. The renovations at Roombeek were finished in the year 2012 creating an architecturally interesting and lively area.
Enschede marathon
Where to eat in Enschede city centre
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