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Drachten () is a town in the northern
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 ...
. It is located in the municipality of
Smallingerland Smallingerland (; fy, ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Population centres Boornbergum, De Tike, De Veenhoop, De Wilgen, Drachten (main town), Drachtstercompagnie, Goëngahu ...
,
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 ...
. It had a population of around 45,186 in January 2017 and is the second largest town in the province of Friesland.


History


Beginnings

Drachten began as a small community on the east side of the Drait (or Dracht) river. There, early settlers started draining the land to use it for agriculture. As the process of draining progressed, residents began to move further eastward in order to use the drained land—former peatbogs—for
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. Around 1200 A.D., a small stone church was built. It was used for 200 years afterward, until rising waters drove people even further east. By 1550 the Dutch
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
reserve had been exhausted. Peat had become an important source of energy, not only for private households but also for the industry. The need in the rapidly growing province of Holland during the 17th century was higher than Friesland could supply. Most of the transport was over water, therefore often by track boat. Peat exploitation meant a welcome activity for many villages, although most of the income did not flow into the pockets of the struggling peat cutters. In 1641 A.D. farmers in Drachten North and Drachten South entered into an agreement with wealthy residents of
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, the 'Drachten Associates'. One of these moneylenders was businessman Passchier Hendriks Bolleman from
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. The agreement stipulated that peat cut in Smallingerland was designated for the Holland industry. For transport by boat the Drachtster Compagnonsvaart
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
and two side channels had to be constructed. During one year 800 workers had been digging every day. And where people spent their days, other developments followed, such as dwellings, places for storage, hostels and businesses. Although the economic success of cutting peat was short-lived (it even led to Passchier Bolleman's financial ruin), it spurred on to the foundation of Drachten. The Drachtstervaart brought in ships and the ships brought in not only return freight, but also their own service industry: rope-yards, carpenter's yards and forges. In 1746 the first real shipyard was established on the Langewijk, initially only for the construction of timber flatboats, but after 1895 also for iron hull ships. In 1902 a second shipyard followed on the Drachtstervaart.


Drachten grows

Along the side of the canal, pubs, shops, shipbuilding facilities, and public utilities, such as a rope-walk, were built. Around 1830, a town hall was built, and a notary public moved from nearby Oudega to Drachten. The peat industry of Drachten lasted for 200 years. When it ended, the poorer workers stayed behind; some became small farmers, but most of them had no success.


Accelerated growth

In the post-war period between 1950 and 1991, Drachten grew by an average of 1,000 inhabitants a year. The arrival of the
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
company was a major contributor to this growth. Today there are approximately 45,000 people living in Drachten; its major industrial production includes electrical goods, transport equipment, machinery, food, chemicals and furniture.


Geography

Drachten is situated in the municipality of
Smallingerland Smallingerland (; fy, ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Population centres Boornbergum, De Tike, De Veenhoop, De Wilgen, Drachten (main town), Drachtstercompagnie, Goëngahu ...
in the east of the province of
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 ...
in the north 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 ...
.
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 the ...
is to the northwest,
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
northeast, and
Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...
southwest. It is located along the Wijde Ee waterway, which flows into the larger Prinses Margriet Kanaal. It is surrounded by many small towns; its environment consists of lowlands with forests and peat moors, and nearby lakes.


International relations

Drachten is twinned with: *
Gobabis , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = Ex Oriente Lux , image_skyline = Gobabis Namibia aerial.jpg , imagesize = 300px , imag ...
,
Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
*
Kiryat Ono Kiryat Ono ( he, קִרְיַת אוֹנוֹ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel. It is located east of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Modern Kiryat Ono is not to be confused with the biblical Ono, which was located in the ar ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...


Culture


Art project "Water is Life"

In April 2007, artist Henk Hofstra painted a road in Drachten blue with white lettering and traffic markings. The road is called Moleneind. The lettering spells "Water is Leven" (Water is Life), meant to symbolize a prior waterway that was paved over. The part of this water that was situated in the centre of Drachten, was closed in the sixties of the last century, in order to stimulate the local economy and give space to the increased road traffic. Now the centre of the town was no longer reachable by boat. In 1996 the first plans were made to recreate the water way into the heart of the town so water tourists will come back to Drachten and visit the centre by boat; it is called the "Drachtstervaart" project. The reconstruction of the area started in 2001 and was supposed to last until 2011. Due to the economical crisis, the construction was stopped for about two years. The construction on the water way continued in 2013, and it has since been completed.


Infrastructure

Drachten is not served by the Dutch railway system but it is situated next to the A7 motorway. Its extensive bus system connects it 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 the ...
,
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
,
Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...
, and other centres.


Traffic experiment

Drachten received international attention for a
traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...
experiment known as
shared space Shared space is an urban design approach that minimises the segregation between modes of road user. This is done by removing features such as kerbs, road surface markings, traffic signs, and traffic lights. Hans Monderman and others have s ...
, a concept pioneered by
Hans Monderman Hans Monderman (19 November 1945 – 7 January 2008) was a Dutch road traffic engineer and innovator. He was recognised for radically challenging the criteria used to evaluate engineering solutions for street design. His work compelled tra ...
. Almost all
traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traf ...
s and signs have been removed in the town's centre in an effort to improve traffic safety, based on the theory that drivers pay more attention to their surroundings when they cannot rely on strict traffic rules. Previously the town's centre had an average of eight accidents per year. In the first two years after the system was introduced, yearly accidents were reduced to one.


Notable people

*
Douwe Amels Douwe Jorn Amels (born 16 September 1991) is a Dutch track and field athlete who specialises in the high jump. He won the gold medal at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, becoming the first Dutchman ever to win gold in the event and the ...
(born 1991)
track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
athlete *
Herman Theodoor Colenbrander Herman Theodoor Colenbrander (13 December 1871 in Drachten – 8 October 1945 in Leiden) was a Dutch historian, the first director of the Commissie van Advies voor 's Rijks Geschiedkundige Publicatiën, which has become the Institute of Dutch ...
(1871-1945) historian *
Tim Douwsma Tim Douwsma (born 4 November 1987) is a Dutch singer. In 2007, he participated in the talent show '' So You Wanna Be a Popstar'' on Dutch television channel SBS 6. Career Douwsma was born in Drachten, Friesland, Netherlands. After graduation f ...
(born 1987) singer * Couhaib Driouech (born 2002)
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player *
Gerrit Hiemstra __NOTOC__ Gerrit Hiemstra (born 19 August 1961) is a Dutch meteorologist and weather presenter. Since 1998 he is one of the weather presenters for the Dutch public news broadcaster NOS Journaal NOS Journaal is the umbrella name for the news br ...
(born 1961)
meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
and
weather presenter A weather presenter (also known colloquially in North America as a weatherman or weather broadcaster) is a person who presents the weather forecast daily on radio, television or internet news broadcasts. Using diverse tools, such as projected weath ...
*
Henk de Jong Henk de Jong (born 27 August 1964, in Drachten) is a Dutch football manager, who most recently managed Dutch Eredivisie side SC Cambuur. Managerial career After several years of being manager in amateur football and assistant manager in profe ...
(born 1964) football manager *
Harrie Langman Hartgert "Harrie" Langman (23 February 1931 – 1 August 2016) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a cons ...
(1931-2016) politician of the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD) *
Bas Paternotte Bastiaan Paschier (Bas) Paternotte (born 1 September 1976 in Drachten) is a Dutch political reporter for the blogs ''ThePostOnline.nl '' (formerly ''DeJaap.nl'') and GeenStijl and formerly for the magazine HP/De Tijd. and a political commentator ...
(born 1976) journalist and
blogger A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
*
Fedde Schurer Fedde Schurer (; ) ( Drachten, 25 July 1898 – Heerenveen, 19 March 1968) was a Dutch schoolteacher, journalist, language activist and politician,Klaes Dykstra and Bouke Oldenhof, ''Lyts Hânboek fan de Fryske Literatuer'', Leeuwarden (Afûk), 1 ...
(1898-1968) journalist, poet, and politician * Jack de Vries (born 1968) political consultant and
lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
* Sytze Wierda (1839-1911) architect and engineer


References


External links


Dragten.nl
website about historical Drachten {{Authority control Populated places in Friesland Smallingerland