Almelo

For the cargo ship originally named Almelo, see SS Dalstroy.

City and municipality in Overijssel, Netherlands

Almelo

City and municipality

Almelo city centre

Flag

Coat of arms

Location in Overijssel

Almelo

Location within the Netherlands

Show map of Netherlands

Almelo

Location within Europe

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Coordinates: 52°21′N 6°40′E﻿ / ﻿52.350°N 6.667°E﻿ / 52.350; 6.667
Country| Netherlands
Province| Overijssel
Government

[1]

• Body| Municipal council
• Mayor| Richard Korteland (VVD)
Area

[2]

• Total

| 69.41 km2 (26.80 sq mi)
• Land| 67.27 km2 (25.97 sq mi)
• Water| 2.14 km2 (0.83 sq mi)
Elevation

[3]

| 12 m (39 ft)
Population

(January 2021)[4]

• Total

| 73,132
• Density| 1,087/km2 (2,820/sq mi)
Demonym| Almeloër
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode|

7600–7614, 7627

Area code| 0546
Website| www.almelo.nl

Almelo (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑlməloː] ⓘ) is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie, and Bornerbroek.

Almelo has about 72,000 inhabitants in the middle of the rolling countryside of Twente, with the industrial centres of Enschede and Hengelo as close neighbours but also with tourist towns like Ootmarsum, Delden and Markelo only a bicycle ride away.

Almelo received city rights in 1394. Within the city limits lies the castle of the Counts of Almelo. Located in the city centre is Huize Almelo, a castle that in its current form dates back to 1662 (This castle is not open to the public).

There are mosaics which decorate the walls of the tunnel close to the railway station.

The city is also known for its local association football club Heracles Almelo, which plays in the Eredivisie, the highest football league in the Netherlands. The club uses the Erve Asito.

## History

[edit]

At the end of the 19th century textile emerged as a major employer and drew many workers to Almelo, at first from within the Netherlands. Since the 1960s workers from Spain and Turkey came to Almelo. The first mosque of the Netherlands was built in Almelo in 1976 for the Turkish population of the city. Almelo also has a sizeable number of Armenians who built their own Armenian Apostolic Church in 2003.[5]

In the 1970s the industry dwindled and most factories were relocated to countries with cheaper labour. Some factories remain in the city centre and are now in use for apartments or offices.

### Topography

[edit]

Topographic map of Almelo, Sept. 2014

## Economy

[edit]

Currently, a major employer in Almelo is Urenco Nederland. This is a uranium enrichment plant which uses the gas centrifuge method and produces uranium with about five percent U-235, for nuclear reactors. An industrial bakery, Bolletje, Malvern Panalytical, the Stichting Ziekenhuisgroep Twente (a hospital) and the regional court are also major employers.

## Demographics

[edit]

As of 2020, Almelo has a total population of about 73,107.[6][7] The city has a significant Turkish population.[8][9]

2020  | Numbers  | %

|
|

Dutch natives  | 53,866  | 73.6%
Western migration background  | 7,620  | 10.4%
Non-Western migration background  | 11,621  | 15.9%
Armenia [10] | ~7,000  | 10%
Turkey | 5,797  | 8%
Indonesia | 2,240  | 3.06%
Morocco | 565  |
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba | 362  |
Suriname | 340  |
Total  | 73,107  | 100%

## Transport

[edit]

Almelo station

Almelo has 2 railway stations:

* Almelo railway station
* Almelo de Riet railway station

The main station is Almelo and offers links to Hengelo, Enschede, Amersfoort, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Utrecht, Gouda, Rotterdam, The Hague and Zwolle. There is also a train every 2 hours into Germany serving cities such as Osnabrück, Hannover and Berlin.

## Sport

[edit]

### Football

[edit]

Heracles Almelo, a professional football club playing in the Eredivisie is based in Almelo.

### Cycling

[edit]

Since 1983 Almelo has organised the Profronde van Almelo, an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing event.

## Notable people

[edit]

Wubbo Ockels, 2007 Kea Bouman, 1929 Kirsten Wild, 2018

* Catharina Julia Roeters van Lennep (1813–1883) a Dutch artist
* Bertha Tideman-Wijers (1887–1976) composer
* Izaak Kolthoff (1894–1993) an analytical chemist and chemistry educator
* Judith Ledeboer OBE (1901–1990) architect
* Evert Willem Beth (1908–1964) philosopher and logician
* Gerritdina Benders-Letteboer (1909–1980) an active member of the Dutch Resistance
* Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014) a physicist and astronaut of the European Space Agency
* Herman Finkers (born 1954) comedian, known for his friendly, dry-witted humour
* Tom Egbers (born 1957) a Dutch English journalist, writer and TV presenter [11]
* Liesbeth van Tongeren (born 1958) a Dutch politician, Director of Greenpeace Netherlands 2003–2010, grew up in Almelo
* Hero Brinkman (born 1964) a police officer and former Dutch politician
* Jos de Blok (born 1960) founder and CEO of Buurtzorg
* Michiel Veenstra (born 1976) Radio-dj on KINK
* Ilse de Lange (born 1977) a Dutch country and pop rock singer-songwriter
* Loes Haverkort (born 1981) a Dutch movie, TV and theater actress [12]
* Azra Akın (born 1981) Miss Turkey World 2002 and Miss World 2002[13]

### Sports

[edit]

* Kea Bouman (1903 – 1998) female tennis player; only Dutch female tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament
* Lex Mullink (born 1944) a retired rower, bronze medallist at the 1964 Summer Olympics
* Hendrie Krüzen (born 1964) football midfielder, over 500 club caps
* Brian van Loo (born 1975) retired soccer goalkeeper, 261 club caps
* Marnix Smit (born 1975) retired soccer player, 231 club caps with Heracles Almelo
* Arnold Bruggink (born 1977) retired soccer player, 447 club caps
* Mark Looms (born 1981) soccer player, 329 club caps
* Kirsten Wild (born 1982) track and road race cyclist; multiple National Champion
* Marc Höcher (born 1984) a Dutch football player with over 350 club caps
* Dennis Kuipers (born 1985) a Dutch rally driver
* Anouk Dekker (born 1986) a Dutch footballer with over 250 club caps
* Maret Balkestein-Grothues (born 1988) a Dutch volleyball player
* Maud Roetgering (born 1992) a football defender 184 caps with FC Twente Vrouwen
* Bent Viscaal (born 1999) a Dutch racing driver

## International relations

[edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands

### Twin towns — Sister cities

[edit]

Almelo is twinned with:

* Iserlohn, Germany

* Preston, United Kingdom

* Vagharshapat, Armenia

Denizli, Turkey

|
|
|

## See also

[edit]

* Ambt Almelo

## Gallery

[edit]

* The Catholic St. Georgius church in Almelo

* Almelo - Sculptuur op de hoek van de Oranjestraat en de Molenstraat

* Huize Almelo

* Almelo, spoorviadukt bij de Wierdensestraat

* Afbeelding

* Bird sculpture by artist Anne Wenzel at the Marktplein

* Restaurant in former factory

* Twentekanaal (branch to Almelo)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Portefeuilleverdeling" [Division of tasks] (in Dutch). Gemeente Almelo. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
2. ^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
3. ^ "Postcodetool for 7607EK". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
4. ^ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
5. ^ "Ontstaan Armeense Kerk Almelo - Onze Kerk".
6. ^ "Almelo (Municipality, Overijssel, Netherlands) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
7. ^ "CBS Statline". opendata.cbs.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-11-18.
8. ^ "Lots of information about the municipality of Almelo". AllCharts.info. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
9. ^ "Almelo (Municipality, Overijssel, Netherlands) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
10. ^ https://www.oost.nl/nieuws/2269979/armeniers-in-almelo-voelen-zich-in-de-steek-gelaten-de-wereld-kijkt-gewoon-toe
11. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 25 October 2019
12. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 25 October 2019
13. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 25 October 2019

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Almelo.

* Media related to Almelo at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website

Places adjacent to Almelo

|  | Twenterand | Tubbergen

|
|

|  |
Wierden |

Almelo

| Borne
|  |
| Hof van Twente |

* v
* t
* e

Overijssel province

Municipalities|

* Almelo
* Borne
* Dalfsen
* Deventer
* Dinkelland
* Enschede
* Haaksbergen
* Hardenberg
* Hellendoorn
* Hengelo
* Hof van Twente
* Kampen
* Losser
* Oldenzaal
* Olst-Wijhe
* Ommen
* Raalte
* Rijssen-Holten
* Staphorst
* Steenwijkerland
* Tubbergen
* Twenterand
* Wierden
* Zwartewaterland
* Zwolle

Regions|

* Kop van Overijssel
* Salland
* Twente

See also
Netherlands
Provinces
Municipalities
Regions and subregions

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* Yale LUX

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