Ommen
Ommen | |
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Municipality | |
in the foreground | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postcode | 7685, 7730–7739, 8145–8149 |
Area code | 0523, 0529, 0572 |
Website | www |
Ommen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɔmə(n)] ⓘ) is a municipality and a Hanseatic city in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in the Vecht valley of the Salland region in Overijssel. Historical records first name Ommen in the early 12th century and it was officially founded as a city in 1248. The municipality had a population of 18,295 in 2021 and covers an area of 182.01 km2 (70.27 sq mi).
Population centres
Besides the city of Ommen (population: 8,710) and the town of Lemele (population: 570), the municipality consists of the following hamlets and villages:[5]
History
The emergence of Ommen
The first inhabitants of the area around Ommen were probably
The
The location of Ommen itself proved particularly suitable for settlement — not only because of the fertile river soil and the higher ground of the river dune (even today the church square is visibly higher than the streets to its east and south), but also because of the ford in the Vecht facilitating trade routes between the Frisian north and Twente to the south. Archeological discoveries indicate that the first settlement in Ommen itself emerged during the 8th century CE, and by the end of the 11th century a veritable town had developed — among the first in Overijssel.[7] The first permanent settlers in Ommen were mixed crop-livestock farmers who also engaged in river trade and innkeeping. Most of these first settlers were probably of Saxon origin, though the Salians who dominated the banks of the IJssel also influenced the region economically, politically and religiously. The first houses in Ommen were hutkommen: wooden houses of which the ground floor was typically around half a meter below the ground. A church was built at the heart of Ommen around 1150 and was soon after replaced by a stone church, indicating further growth of the settlement. Written records first mention Ommen as de Vmme in 1133 and as Ummen in 1227.[8]
This gradual growth, however, did not mean Ommen could also dominate the surrounding area politically, as there were many other powers in the land. Above all, the
Development into a city
On 25 August 1248, Ommen received
A wall was soon erected around Ommen, including three
Ommen soon became a regional port and market for agricultural products. Due to this commercial growth and strategic commercial position, Ommen eventually joined the
For centuries during the Middle Ages, the
War and disaster
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2016) |
In 1522, citizens of
Ommen remained part of
Though a 'Golden Age' for the young Dutch Republic, the 17th century proved rather devastating for Ommen. A great fire in 1624 inflicted serious damage on the church, of which only the foundations and a few walls remained. To control traffic and to prevent military invasions from the north, the fortification of Ommerschans was constructed. In 1672, one of the most severe fires in Ommen's history raged through the entire city, destroying everything but the church. In that same year, the aptly named 'Rampjaar' (disaster year), the Franco-Dutch War broke out, and until 1674 foreign troops (especially from Münster) frequently marched through Ommen, demanding passage, payment, food and lodging. It was not until 1753 that Ommen had sufficiently recovered to afford a new city hall, built at the Vrijthof square, on the same location as the previous building.
During the so-called 'periwig era' of decline in the Netherlands, discontent with oligarchical rule also increased in Ommen. In 1732, the citizens of Ommen rose up against the city council. A petition was handed to the Magistrate on May 31, in which a large share of the citizenry rejected its authority and asked it to resign. The council refused and severe riots ensued, but eventually order was restored. In 1762, a night guard was installed to maintain public order, but the unrest would remain until the Batavian Revolution of 1795.
Ommen in modern times
On March 2, 1809, the municipal authorities prepared a welcome for the visit of Lodewijk Napoleon, king of the short-lived Kingdom of Holland. They were disappointed when they found out the king had already passed Ommen the day before. The three burgomasters quickly pursued the king and met with his party near Gramsbergen, still receiving a gift of 1000 Dutch guilders for the well-intended preparations for his visit.
When his brother
To safeguard the eastern borders of the newly established Kingdom of the Netherlands, plans were drawn by order of
Although renovated and expanded in 1758, the toll house next to the bridge (also called the bridge master's house) was torn down in 1827 to be replaced by a new city hall, designed by the architect J.P. Orentzburg. This new building, situated on the bank of the Vecht, housed all offices of the municipal authorities — including the city council, the court, the tax and toll office, the Gentlemen's Society and the home of the burgomaster. The court moved to a new building in 1882. The burgomaster and the Gentlemen's Society moved soon afterwards. The city hall was renovated and expanded in 1925 and again in 1955. The municipal authorities left the building in 1982. It has since been converted into a museum and a restaurant. In 1923, the municipalities of Stad Ommen and Ambt Ommen were once again merged. The borders of the municipality have remained unchanged since, with the exception of the eastern part of Lemelerveld which came under the municipality of Dalfsen in 1997.
On the night of 6 February 1972, a
Eerde
About four kilometres (2.5 miles) south-east of Ommen and adjacent to the hamlet of
The name "Eerde" is a Saxon word meaning "earth". The first castle on this site was built in the 14th century, but was soon destroyed by the
During the Second World War, a
Nowadays the castle houses the private international boarding school Eerde, which offers the
Ommerschans
About ten kilometres (6.2 miles) due north of Ommen lies the former Ommerschans fortification.
The defences of the Ommerschans were restrengthened in the middle of the 17th century to deter and halt a possible invasion from the German states. Despite these new fortifications, the Ommerschans was captured without any resistance when Prince-Bishop
Under pressure from the citizens of Ommen and after the
In the early 19th century, the Dutch government changed it into a resocialisation institution and labour camp for beggars, prostitutes and alcoholics from
When the institution went bankrupt in 1859 the Dutch government managed the labour camp until 1889, when it was finally closed down. During its years in operation, between several hundred and two thousand workers would live at Ommerschans at any one time, and an estimated 5448 workers died whilst interned there.
The city of Ommen
Location, economy and infrastructure
Ommen lies 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of the provincial capital of
Because Ommen is a rural municipality,
Since 15 January 1903, Ommen has had a
An important infrastructural problem is the
Local politics
The current
The last municipal elections were in March 2022. The seventeen seats in Ommen's municipal council are divided as follows:
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Ommen is
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Culture
Bissing
Ommen is famous for its Bissing
Nowadays the Bissing has become a major tourist attraction, lasting for five consecutive Wednesdays after the initial market and comprising a wide array of ceremonies, fairs, concerts, funfairs and activities.
The etymology of the word Bissing is widely discussed. Some believe it is derived from 'Bishop's day', in recognition of the granting of Ommen's town rights, whilst others believe the Low-Saxon word is related to the English word business.
Language
Most inhabitants of Ommen speak
The poet
Religion
Ommen has a reasonable mix of
Ommen was built around the old church at its centre, built around 1150, first mentioned in 1238 and severely damaged by fires in 1330 and 1624.
The famous preacher and
Jews in the Ommen area often were small-scale butchers. Most of Ommen's
Sights
- The church in the centre, built in 1150 but rebuilt and renovated regularly, is by far the oldest building in Ommen.
- The National Tin Figurine Museum in the former Town Hall has over 200,000 figurines and panoramas, including four panoramas of the Battle of Ane.[24]
- Ommen has five windmills, of which three are in the town itself: the Lelie (1846, still in full operation), Den Oordt (1842, operates weekly) and the Konijnenbelt (1806, out of commission). Vilsteren has its own windmill (1858, recently recommissioned), as does the hamlet of Besthem (1862, recently renovated). The Besthemermolen also houses the Nature Information Centre with expositions about Ommen's diverse landscape and ecosystems.
- The small Regional Museum in Ommen explains Ommen's customs and history.[25]
- The estates of the Vilsteren and Eerde castles are open to the public.[18][26]
- The Pieterpad rambling trail (the most popular trail in the Netherlands) passes through Ommen.[27]
Notable inhabitants of Ommen
- Albertus van Raalte (1811 in Wanneperveen – 1876) preacher and founder of Holland, Michigan
- Dirk Van Raalte (1844 in Ommen – 1901) American Union soldier and politician
- August van Groeningen (1866 in Ommen – 1894) writer
- Johanna van Buren (1881 in Hellendoorn – 1981) poet
- Gerrit Bouwhuis (1888 in Ommen – 1957) a Dutch sports shooter, competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Philip baron van Pallandt(1889–1979), pioneer of Dutch Scouting
- J. H. A. Lokin (born 1945 in Ommen) jurist and academic
- Edward Top (born 1972 in Ommen), composer
- Malik Azmani (born 1976 in Heerenveen) is a Dutch politician and Member of the European Parliament
References
- ^ "College van Burgemeester en Wethouders" [Board of mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Ommen. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "Postcodetool for 7731EE". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), January 1, 2006
- ^ a b c Gerrit Nevenzel, Kasteel Eerde Archived 2001-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Willem Bemboom, Het maritieme cultuurlandschap van Regge en Vecht[permanent dead link] (2007), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Afdeling Maritieme Archeology. (in Dutch)
- ^ Steen, G. en W. Veldsink, 1948 – De geschiedenis van Ommen. (in Dutch)
- ^ The History of 't Laer Archived 2009-01-20 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch)
- ^ Unknown author, Quedam narracio de Groninghe de Trentis de Covordia et diversis alliis sub episcopis Traiectensibis (a.k.a. Narracio), published by Vereniging Herdenking Slag bij Ane (2000), folder.
- ^ The historical sources about Ommen differ on many of the dates before the 17th century. Usually the difference is only one or two years, but sometimes as much as a decade. The most commonly quoted dates are used on this page.
- ^ Dieks Horsman, "Nieuwebrug, geen echte buurtschap... en toch een gezellige buurt" in De Darde Klokke, No. 117, page 28 (in Dutch)
- ^ Jan Lucas, The Town Hall[permanent dead link] (in Dutch)
- ISBN 90-6984-495-8.
- ^ Harry Woertink, Burgemeesters van Ommen[permanent dead link], in Ommen Historisch Belicht (2006), Historische Kring Ommen. (In Dutch)
- ^ "Plans for the fortification of Ommen in the Dutch National Archives". Archived from the original on 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ Andere Tijden, Aanslagen in Ravenstein en Ommen: De grootste sabotage-daad van na de oorlog, October 16, 2001. (In Dutch)
- ^ a b Stichting Natuurmonumenten, Natuurgebied Eerde Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 90-5345-037-8(in Dutch)
- ^ "International School Eerde -". eerde.nl.
- ^ Vereniging De Ommerschans, History of the Ommerschans Archived 2007-02-08 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch)
- ^ Streektaalzang, Johanna van Buren (in Dutch)
- ^ "Ommen - Joods Cultureel Kwartier".
- ^ National Tin Figurine Museum, National Tin Figurine Museum Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Regional Museum Ommen (in Dutch), Regional Museum Ommen
- ^ Landgoed Vilsteren, Landgoed Vilsteren Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Pieterpad (in Dutch) www site: http://www.pieterpad.nl/
External links
- Media related to Ommen at Wikimedia Commons
- Ommen travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Official website (in Dutch)
- Ommen Regional Museum (in Dutch)
- Ommen Historical Society (in Dutch)