Enschede (Low Saxon: Eanske) is a city and municipality in
Twente, in the east of the Dutch province of Overijssel. In addition
to the city of Enschede, the municipality of Enschede includes the
villages of Lonneker, Boekelo, Usselo, Glanerbrug and the hamlet of
Twekkelo, all of which fall under the city of Enschede for the
postcodes. The municipality has 158,918 inhabitants (August 1, 2020,
source: Statistics Netherlands) with approximately 160
nationalities. Enschede is the largest city in Overijssel and the
fourteenth municipality in the Netherlands by population.
The
original municipality of Enschede had a very planned hexagonal shape
from 1818 (one of the most planned in the Netherlands) and was
completely surrounded by the municipality of Lonneker. The boundary
was marked in 1826 by 6 numbered stone posts made of Bentheim
sandstone. Parts of Lonneker were annexed in 1884. In 1934 the rest
of the municipality of Lonneker was annexed.
The municipality
of Enschede works together in the Twente Region and has been a
participant from the very beginning in the EUREGIO, the first
regional cross-border partnership in Europe.
The name 'Enschede' is, according to the most common explanation, a corruption of 'An die Schede' (Anneschethe, 1119). The Old Saxon scethia meant 'division' or 'border', which in this case probably referred to a swampy border area.
Enschede originated in the early Middle Ages as an
agricultural settlement: the center of a series of neighborhoods
around a number of ash trees. In addition to the agricultural land,
the neighborhoods also included common land, not in the possession
of a single owner. In the early Middle Ages five separate 'marks'
can be distinguished: the Esmarke (Enschedermarke or Grote
Boermarke), the Lonneker marke, the Usseler marke, the Twekkeler
marke and the Driener marke. Together they formed the director of
Enschede. In the Middle Ages, farmers in the Marches generally did
not own the land they cultivate. Landowners include the bishop of
Utrecht, Werden monastery, lords of Ottenstein. Located on the
southern flank of a lateral moraine on the route from Deventer to
Münster and Osnabrück, the village developed steadily. Enschede was
granted city rights around 1300, which were confirmed in 1325 by the
Utrecht bishop Jan van Diest. The city's oldest known seal features
the image of the parish saint, Saint James the Greater. This seal
was in use until the Münster war (1666). The city was surrounded by
an oval canal belt in the 14th century and from about 1400 by a
double canal belt. An earthen wall with a stockade was then
constructed between these canals.
When Enschede was granted
city rights in 1325, the bishop of Utrecht also granted the right to
fortify the settlement. Before 1325, however, Enschede was already
surrounded by a moat, the so-called Stadsgraven. The two bridges
over that canal, the Veldbrug (in the current Marktstraat) and the
Esbrug (in the Langestraat, near the Haverstraatpassage) were
already reinforced by gates before 1300: the Veldpoort and the
Espoort. Furthermore, within the moat, to the east of the church,
was the Esmarke doom court or main court. The court itself was also
surrounded by a wide moat, the Borggraven, which was connected to
the Stadsgraven.
In 1465 the bishop ordered the citizens of
Enschede to build a wooden fence around the city. The stockade was
built on a wall that was located between the old city graves and a
new outer moat. To compensate the city, the bishop donated a piece
of wild land outside the Veldpoort, the so-called Stadsmaten or
Stadsweide. Some thirty years later, a stronghold was established on
the north side of the city.
In 1518 the city was captured from the
bishop by the Geldersen. They razed the fortifications to the
ground. However, the constant outbreaks of episcopal gangs from
Oldenzaal forced Enschede to be strengthened again. In 1523 the
fortress was rebuilt and the so-called Blokhuis was established on
the Markt.
When Prince Maurice appeared at the gates on
October 18, 1597 during the capture of the city, the city
surrendered without a fight. The fortress and walls of Enschede were
poorly cared for at that time and the states of Overijssel had no
longer planned to invest in the dilapidated city walls. Although
Maurits confirmed the old rights of Enschede, he ordered the
dismantling of the fortress. The rampart was used to 'throw' the
outer canal. The inner moat remained, albeit narrowed, as did the
two gates. Enschede's military role was over by filling in the last
stretch of outer canal in 1600.
The city remained relatively insignificant until the 18th century, when the textile industry developed. After Belgium's independence in 1830, the textile industry in Twente was strongly stimulated by the government. The third city fire in 1862 (the first was in 1517, the second in 1750 and the then village of Enschede had already been burned down in 1125 and 1225), in which almost the entire city was destroyed, caused this development to accelerate.
Enschede grew into the most important center of textile
production in the Netherlands. The population of the textile city
increased fivefold between 1870 and 1900. Textile families such as
Van Heek, Ter Kuile, Jannink, Blijdenstein, Tattersall & Holdsworth
and Menko formed a powerful oligarchy that left a clear mark on
urban society. The textile has left many traces, including in the
form of very modern residential areas for that time. An important
example of this is Crimea (1861), the first district built for
workers, which was neglected around 1900 and then demolished around
1935. The garden village Pathmos (1924) and the district de Laares
(1930) and a number of city parks are also examples of urban
developments that have been established by or on the initiative of
textile manufacturers.
In 1891, the socially committed priest
and parish vicar Alfons Ariëns in Enschede initiated the development
of the Catholic labor movement in the eastern Netherlands. The
socialist workers' movement was the driving force behind a series of
industrial disputes in the textile industry, directed against what
was perceived as social abuses. The labor movements had to compete
against the Enschede Manufacturers Association (also active in the
rest of Twente and in the Achterhoek).
During the Second
World War, Enschede was hit by bombardments dozens of times. On
October 10, 1943 and February 22, 1944, it was bombed on a large
scale by allied airmen who believed they saw a city in Germany.
Incidentally, Enschede was a positive exception in the Netherlands:
thanks to, among others, the Jewish industrialist Sigmund Menko and
the Protestant pastor Leendert Overduin, dozens of Jews were able to
go into hiding in time, as a result of which more than half of the
Jewish inhabitants survived the war. Nationally this was a quarter.
In the sixties of the 20th century, the
textile industry was completely lost, at the cost of approximately
30,000 jobs. Most of the large factory complexes were demolished in
the 1970s and 1980s, some were renovated and given new uses. For
example, homes were built in the former factories of Jannink and Van
Heek. In addition, part of the Jannink complex was converted into a
museum. Enschede developed into a service city. On September 14,
1964, the new Technische Hogeschool Twente (later University of
Twente) opened its doors. Higher professional education in Twente is
concentrated in Enschede with Saxion and ARTEZ Institute of the
Arts. A number of important healthcare institutions are also located
there, including the Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) and
rehabilitation center Het Roessingh. The largest employers in
Enschede are the aforementioned University of Twente and Medisch
Spectrum Twente, each employing about 3000 people, Apollo
Vredestein, Grolsch and Menzis are the largest private employers
with 1500, 750 and 750 employees respectively. The city center was
revitalized from the 1980s by the construction of a car-free city
yard and the filling in of vacant industrial areas with homes,
shopping centers and offices.
On May 13, 2000, a major
fireworks disaster took place, in which the residential area of
Roombeek was destroyed. 23 people were killed (including four
firefighters) and nearly a thousand were injured. In October 2000,
work began on preparing part of the disaster area for construction.
On May 1, 2001, Mayor Jan Mans gave the official go-ahead for the
first reconstruction project. The reconstruction was completed in
2010.
The Alphatoren was completed in 2008 and this tower
block with 91 apartments spread over 29 floors is the tallest
building in Enschede with a height of 101 meters. In the period
1995–2010, Enschede grew by about 10,000 inhabitants, but since then
growth has stagnated.