Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the
IJssel", from the perspective of the
Episcopal principality of Utrecht by which it was held until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel is
Zwolle (pop. 127,497) and the largest city is
Enschede (pop. 158,986). The province had a population of 1,162,215 as of November 2019. The land mostly consists of grasslands and some forests (including
Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park
Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park is a national park in the Dutch province of Overijssel, located between the townships of Hellendoorn and Holten. In 2004, the Dutch Government changed the status of the area to National Park. The park is mainly ma ...
); it also borders a small part of the
IJsselmeer to the west.
Geography
Overijssel is bordered by
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
(
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
and
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
) to the east, the
Achterhoek region of
Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
to the south, the
Veluwe region of Gelderland and
Flevoland to the west, and
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
and the former moors of
Drenthe to the north. Overijssel comprises three regions:
Kop van Overijssel
The Kop van Overijssel ( English: ''Head of Overijssel'') is a region in the very northwestern part of the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consists of the municipality of Steenwijkerland and matches the historical region of the Land van Volle ...
in the northwest,
Salland in the centre of the province, and
Twente in the east. Besides the capital
Zwolle, other major cities are
Almelo,
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, ...
,
Hengelo
Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.
...
,
Enschede, and
Kampen.
To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers such as the
Regge and
Dinkel and other brooks. In the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the ''
Overijsselse Vecht'' and clay. The northern parts were once covered by ''veen'' (
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
s) which separated the dryer and more arable south from
Drenthe and which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (''Engbertsdijksvenen'' near
Geesteren, ''Witteveen'' (near
Haaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (near
Enschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining and protected under the
De Weerribben-Wieden National Park status, which is a valuable wetland.
The highest point in Overijssel is the summit of the Tankenberg, a hill in the municipality of
Losser, at 85 metres (278 ft). The lowest point is in the Mastenbroek
Polder near
Kampen at 2 metres (6 ft) below
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...
.
Important rivers :
IJssel,
Zwarte Water,
Overijsselse Vecht,
Dinkel,
Regge and Reest .
Major channels :
Twentekanaal (Enschede and Zutphen-branch to Almelo), Overijssels Kanaal, Kanaal Almelo-De Haandrik, Kanaal Almelo-Nordhorn (outdoors) and Dedemsvaart (largely muted).
Climate
Overijssel enjoys an oceanic climate (
Cfb in the
Köppen classification). However, winters tend to be more severe than the rest of the Netherlands, because of its distance from the coast.
History
Oversticht
Overijssel was formerly known as Oversticht and also included most of the modern-day province of
Drenthe. In 1336, it was made part of
Guelders, though it was ceded to the
Bishopric of Utrecht in 1347. The Bishops ceded the Oversticht to the Emperor
Charles V in 1528, who styled himself
Lord of Overijssel, after the Latin name of Oversticht that was known since 1233: ''Transysla'' or ''Transisalania'', or Over-IJssel, i.e. the other side of the river
IJssel. The people joined with the other Dutch and rebelled against Charles' heir
Philip II. Overijssel became governed by the most powerful mayors and lords in the province, including by the lieutenant-governor
Nicolaas Schmelzing
Nicolaas Schmelzing (1561 – 8 September 1629) was an Austrian nobleman, Dutch courtier and military commander, lieutenant-governor of the Province of Overijssel during the early 17th century, and President of the Dutch War Council at the success ...
(1561-1629).
After a brief occupation by the forces of the
Bishop of Münster
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
(1672–74), Overijssel received a new form of government which granted the
stadtholders more power. Widespread resistance against the increased power throughout the provinces eventually led to the formation of the
Batavian Republic in 1795. A centralist government arose and the Netherlands was organised into a series of ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
s'', based on those used by revolutionary
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Overijssel
At first organised into its own ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
'', it was merged with
Drenthe in 1798 to form
Ouden IJssel, which was renamed Overijssel in 1801.
The French annexed the Batavian Republic in 1810, and Overijssel was organised into the new French département of
Bouches-de-l'Yssel Bouches-de-l'Yssel (; "Mouths of the IJssel"; ) was a department of the First French Empire in the present-day Netherlands. It was formed in 1810, when the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by France. Its territory corresponded with the present-day Dut ...
. After the defeat of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
in 1814, the kingdom of the Netherlands and the former province of Overijssel were recreated.
Overijssel was occupied by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
from May 1940 until its liberation in April 1945. The
Noordoostpolder, a
reclaimed territory which had been laid dry in 1942, was part of Overijssel from 1962 until 1986, when it became part of the newly created province of
Flevoland.
Politics
The
King's Commissioner of Overijssel is
Andries Heidema (
CU) since 11 July 2018. The King's Commissioner is the chairman of the
Provincial-Executive
The provincial executive (, GS) is the executive branch of government of a province in the Netherlands. It is the equivalent of the municipal executive at the provincial level. The provincial executive consists of the King's Commissioner (chair) ...
(executive branch) and the
States-Provincial
The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...
(elected legislature) of the province.
The
Provincial Council, the general government of the province, consists of 47 members who are elected every four years. Until the States elections of March 2007, Overijssel had 63 Members of Parliament. An amendment to the Provinces Act resulted in the total number of States members in the Netherlands being reduced from 764 to the current 564.
Religion
Economy
The
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is of ...
(GDP) of the region was 43.2 billion € in 2018, accounting for 5.6% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,700 € or 108% of the EU27 average in the same year.
The province has become highly industrialized. The
Twente district in the southeast, where cotton spinning, weaving, and bleaching came into prominence in the 19th century, is one of the principal centres of the Dutch textile industry. The main centres are Enschede, Almelo, Hengelo, and Oldenzaal. Other important industrial centres are Deventer, Kampen, and Zwolle.
Transport
Road
Overijssel is an important transit province to and from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
and the northeast of the Netherlands. There are three main motorways in Overijssel, the
A1,
A28, and the
A35/N35. Other major trunk roads are the
N18,
A32,
N36,
N48 and
N50. In addition, the province manages a large number of
provincial roads of major and minor importance.
* The A1 enters the province at Deventer and runs via Hengelo and Oldenzaal to the German border, where it connects to the
German A30. The A1 is an important hinterland connection with a lot of freight traffic. The road will be widened to 2x4 lanes between Knooppunt Beekbergen and Deventer and to 2x3 lanes between Deventer and Knooppunt Azelo.
* The N18 forms a connection between Enschede and the Achterhoek. The road was newly opened in 2018 between Enschede and Groenlo as a motorway.
* The A28 runs for approximately 20 kilometers in the province, but is the busiest road in Overijssel, with 130,000 vehicles crossing the IJsselbrug every day. The A28 was very sensitive to congestion, but in 2010/2011 the A28 was widened from 2x2 to 2x3 lanes from the Hattemerbroek junction to the Lankhorst junction (excluding the route through Zwolle).
* The A32 runs from
Meppel to
Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of th ...
, but this highway runs partly through the
Kop van Overijssel
The Kop van Overijssel ( English: ''Head of Overijssel'') is a region in the very northwestern part of the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consists of the municipality of Steenwijkerland and matches the historical region of the Land van Volle ...
along
Steenwijk, among others. The A32 joins the A28 at
Staphorst. The A32 is therefore an important arterial road for the northwest of the province.
* The N35 is the most important transport axis through Midden-Overijssel. The road runs from the A28 in Zwolle via Raalte and Nijverdal to Wierden, where the road turns into the A35 past Almelo and Hengelo to Enschede. From Enschede the road turns back into the N35 to the German border. The N35 is the most important connection between the cities of
Twente and the
Ruhr area and
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...
.
* The N36 between Almelo and Ommen and the N48 between Ommen and Hoogeveen together form a connection between Twente and Groningen and between Zwolle and Hardenberg. Both roads are two-lane highways.
* The N50 is an important connection from Zwolle to Kampen and further to Flevoland and Friesland.
Rail network
Four intercity connections (Enschede-Randstad, Zwolle - Roosendaal and Groningen/Leeuwarden-Amersfoort-Randstad and Groningen/Leeuwarden-Lelystad-Randstad) run through Overijssel.
Zwolle railway station has a junction function. The stations of Almelo, Deventer and Hengelo have a transfer function. The stations of Hengelo, Enschede and Oldenzaal have a direct connection with Germany. The international intercity to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
stops in Deventer, Almelo and Hengelo. Goods traffic takes place on many lines to Germany and the north of the Netherlands.
The following railway lines are located in Overijssel:
*
Utrecht – Kampen railway : (Utrecht -) Zwolle - Kampen
*
Arnhem – Leeuwarden railway : (Arnhem -) Deventer - Zwolle - Steenwijk (- Leeuwarden)
*
Zutphen – Glanerbeek railway : (Zutphen -) Goor - Hengelo - Enschede (- Gronau (D))
*
Lelystad – Zwolle railway : (Lelystad -) Kampen South - Zwolle
* Zwolle – Stadskanaal railway : Zwolle - Hardenberg (- Emmen)
*
Zwolle – Almelo railway : Zwolle - Wierden - Almelo
* Mariënberg – Almelo railway : Mariënberg - Almelo
*
Almelo – Salzbergen railway : Almelo - Hengelo - Oldenzaal (- Salzbergen (D))
*
Apeldoorn – Deventer railway : (Apeldoorn -) Deventer
Airport
The main airport in Overijssel is the
Enschede Airport Twente, located outside of
Enschede. The airport does not currently offer any international flights, though it has historically.
Waterways
Due to its location on the IJssel, Overijssel has a number of large bridges. The most important is the IJsselbrug near Zwolle, but the IJsselbrug near Deventer is also important. These are also the busiest roads in the province. At Kampen the
N50 crosses the IJssel. Kampen also has two bridges over the IJssel. Other bridges over the IJssel are at Zwolle the Oude IJsselbrug and the railway bridge over the IJssel, and at Deventer a railway and road bridge. In addition to these bridges, the river IJssel can also be crossed at a number of places by means of a number of ferries.
Municipalities
Overijssel is divided into 25 municipalities. Until 1 January 2001, there were still 44, but after a municipal reclassification came into effect, the number fell to 26. On 1 January 2005, the municipalities of Deventer and
Bathmen were merged (under the name
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, ...
), reducing the number of municipalities into 25.
*''North Overijssel'' COROP group
**
Dalfsen (3)
**
Hardenberg (8)
**
Kampen (12)
**
Ommen (16)
**
Staphorst (19)
**
Steenwijkerland (20)
**
Zwartewaterland (24)
**
Zwolle (25)
*''South West Overijssel'' COROP group
**
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, ...
(5)
**
Olst-Wijhe (15)
**
Raalte (17)
*''Twente'' COROP group
**
Almelo (1)
**
Borne (2)
**
Dinkelland (4)
**
Enschede (6)
**
Haaksbergen (7)
**
Hellendoorn (9)
**
Hengelo
Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.
...
(10)
**
Hof van Twente (11)
**
Losser (13)
**
Oldenzaal (14)
**
Rijssen-Holten
Rijssen-Holten (; Sallaans: ''Riesn-Hooltn'') is a municipality (Dutch: '' gemeente'') in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel.
The municipality was formed in 2001 by the joining of the municipalities of Holten and Rijssen. Th ...
(18)
**
Tubbergen
Tubbergen (; Tweants: ) is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.
Geography
The following population centres can be found in Tubbergen:
Politics
As of the 2018 municipal election, the 19-seat municipal council of Tubbergen is co ...
(21)
**
Twenterand (22)
**
Wierden (23)
Photo gallery
File:Zwolle Grote Markt 2006.JPG, The Grote Markt in Zwolle, the provincial capital
File:Bergkerk Deventer vanuit Bergstraat.jpg, The Bergkerk from the Bergstraat, Deventer
Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, ...
File:Giethoorn Netherlands Channels-and-houses-of-Giethoorn-06.jpg, A canal in Giethoorn
File:Juni 2012 Steenwijk 081.JPG, Steenwijk
File:Watertoren jannink 1900.jpg, Water tower at the Jannink building in Enschede
File:Baken overijssel1.jpg, Beacon of Overijssel in Olst
Olst is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel, about 8 km north of Deventer. It is located in the municipality of Olst-Wijhe.
History
The village was first mentioned in 947 Holsto. The etymology is unknown. Olst is an '' esdorp'' wh ...
See also
*
Overisel Township, Michigan, US was named after Overijssel
*
Tanfana In Germanic paganism, Tamfana is a goddess. The destruction of a temple dedicated to the goddess is recorded by Roman senator Tacitus to have occurred during a massacre of the Germanic Marsi (Germanic), Marsi by forces led by Roman general Germanicu ...
References
External links
Official websiteParticipation platform of Overijssel*
{{Authority control
Provinces of the Netherlands