Ermelo (,
Dutch Low Saxon: ''Armelo'' or ''Armel'') is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
and
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares ...
in 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 ...
; found within
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 ...
province and the forest-rich
Veluwe area. The population was .
Etymology
''Ermelo'' comes from ''lo'', meaning "woods"
[ M. Gysseling (1960), ]
Toponymisch Woordenboek van België, Nederland, Luxemburg, Noord-Frankrijk en West-Duitsland (vóór 1226)
', blz. 327, George Michiels N.V., Tongeren and ''irmin'' for which several explanations are given. Some of those are "great",
"divine" or it refers to an old Germanic god called
Irmin.
Population centres
History
The town has been known to exist since at least 855, when the name ''Irminlo'' first appeared in a legal document. Human presence in the area goes back further however, with many archaeological finds of the
Bell-Beaker culture having been made in the area.

For a long time the town most likely consisted of little more than a few
farms
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
and some other buildings like a
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in so ...
and a
church and it didn't really grow much until the 19th century; in the year 1830 a road was made to make this part of the Veluwe more accessible and at the end of the 19th century the town got a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
. Because the railway station was some distance away from what was then the town centre a road was constructed, the Stationsstraat, which is now considered to be the centre of the town. After the
second world war
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 ...
a shortage of houses resulted in a rapid growth of Ermelo. In 1973
Nunspeet became its own separate municipality after having been part of Ermelo before. In 2005, Ermelo celebrated its 1150-year-long existence. Various artists from across the country performed during the festivities. A classic windmill dating from 1863 located in the town centre, named (The Cow), partially burned down in 1990 after having been hit by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
, but was restored to working order in late 2008. A
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
moved out due to the complete renovation.
Recreation
There are many
campsite
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for camping, overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight u ...
s in the forests surrounding Ermelo which are popular place to stay for mainly Dutch and
German tourists. Cycling through the forests and
heaths is a popular activity, especially during the summer. The nearby
Veluwemeer allows for recreation on the water or beach. The town centre is home to various bars and restaurants and a tourist information centre.
Ermelo hosts various music festivals, such as the Fête de la Musique, Multipop and the International Boogie Woogie Festival. In 2010 the latter featured amongst others pianist
Little Willie Littlefield and saxophonist
Big Jay McNeely.
Transport

The town's railway station is located near the town centre, with a train normally leaving every 30 minutes during the day both north towards
Zwolle
Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...
and south towards
Amersfoort
Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the secon ...
and
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...
. By car, it can be easily reached from highway
A28 which passes west of the town and provincial road N303 which passes through the town. There are also various bus routes passing through the town. is easily accessible from the A28. A pedestrian and cyclist only
ferry operates between Horst beach and
Zeewolde, crossing the Veluwemeer.
Sports
Ermelo is home to various sports clubs. At the time of
UEFA Euro 2000, the
Portuguese national team stayed in Ermelo and played against one of the local clubs,
DVS '33
DVS '33 Ermelo (, English: ''Strong Through Unity'') is a Dutch amateur football club from Ermelo, founded 1 September 1933. The club currently competes in the Derde Divisie, the fourth tier of league football in the Netherlands.
The club evo ...
. This club organizes an annual international tournament for young players. Spanish
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
football team
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the S ...
has regularly used Ermelo as a base for their
preseason training, and have played a number of matches at the local ground against other visiting clubs from Europe, such as
Lokomotiv Sofia in 2007 and
Fenerbahçe in 2006. In May 2009 it became clear that plans for a merge of DVS'33, and
KC Ermelo were cancelled.
The National Equestrian Center of the
Dutch National Equestrian Federation (KNHS) is also located in Ermelo. They hosted the 2009 European Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in dressage, the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, the Dutch Dressage Championships and various international equestrian championships.
Notable people

*
Eva and Abraham Beem (1932 & 1934 - 1944) Dutch Jewish siblings, lived in Ermello; gassed to death in
Auschwitz concentration camp
*
Bernard Willem Holtrop (born 1941 in Ermelo) a Dutch cartoonist living in France
*
Bas Jan van Bochove
Bastiaan Jan "Bas Jan" van Bochove (born 3 October 1950) is a Dutch politician and former educator serving as Acting Mayor of Weesp since 2014. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), he was a member of the House of Representatives ...
(born 1950 in Ermelo) a former Dutch politician and educator
*
Werner Vogels (born 1958 in Ermelo) is the chief technology officer and vice president of
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
*
Reinette Klever
Reinette Joanne Klever (born 21 July 1967) is a Dutch politician and former asset manager. She was a member of the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national ent ...
(born 1967) a Dutch politician and former asset manager; lives in Ermelo
Sport
*
Hendrika Timmer
Hendrika Timmer (1926 – 10 February 1994), also Hendrika Geertruida Timmer or Rie Timmer, was a Dutch chess player. She was a two-time winner of the Dutch Women's Chess Championship (1971, 1972).
Biography
From mid-1960s to mid-1970s, Hendrik ...
(1926–1994) a Dutch chess player, grew up in Ermelo
*
Peter Boeve (born 1957 in Staverden) a Dutch retired footballer with 276 club caps
*
Aart Vierhouten (born 1970 in Ermelo) a Dutch former professional racing cyclist
*
Martin van der Spoel (born 1971 in Ermelo) a former swimmer, competed at the
1996 Summer Olympics
Gallery
File:Huis te leuvenum.jpg, Manor house ''Huis te Leuvenum'' in Leuvenum
File:Staverden, kasteel Staverden RM523818 horizontaal IMG 5141 2020-04-26 14.46.jpg, Castle Staverden
File:Ermelo Watertoren 2007.JPG, Ermelo water tower
File:Boshuis in Drie.jpg, "Het Boshuis" in Drie
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Gelderland
Populated places in Gelderland