Hoogeveen: Peat Colony Town in Southern Drenthe
Hoogeveen has about 38,750 inhabitants and lies in the south of Drenthe. The town grew as a veenkolonie, a settlement established along canals dug for peat extraction in the 17th century. The Hoofdvaart, the main canal, runs straight through the centre and remains the town's defining axis. Unlike the ancient esdorpen of northern Drenthe, Hoogeveen has a linear layout typical of planned peat colonies.
Manufacturing replaced peat as the economic base in the 20th century. Fokker operated an aircraft factory here from 1967, later taken over by GKN Aerospace, producing aircraft components. The Tamboerpassage shopping centre and the Grote Kerk anchor the town centre.
Emmen is about 30 kilometres east. Zwolle lies roughly 35 kilometres southwest. Meppel is approximately 15 kilometres west. The flat landscape of reclaimed peatland stretches in all directions.
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Hoogeveen has about 38,750 inhabitants and lies in the south of Drenthe. The town grew as a veenkolonie, a settlement established along canals dug for peat extraction in the 17th century. The Hoofdvaart, the main canal, runs straight through the centre and remains the town's defining axis. Unlike the ancient esdorpen of northern Drenthe, Hoogeveen has a linear layout typical of planned peat colonies.
Manufacturing replaced peat as the economic base in the 20th century. Fokker operated an aircraft factory here from 1967, later taken over by GKN Aerospace, producing aircraft components. The Tamboerpassage shopping centre and the Grote Kerk anchor the town centre.
Emmen is about 30 kilometres east. Zwolle lies roughly 35 kilometres southwest. Meppel is approximately 15 kilometres west. The flat landscape of reclaimed peatland stretches in all directions.
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