Ommen (Low Saxon: Ommn) is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel and the capital of the municipality of Ommen. Ommen is located on the Overijsselse Vecht, in the Salland region or more specifically the Vechtdal. The place is already mentioned around the year 1100 as a fordable place along the Vecht. In 1248 it was granted city rights.
Historic Center and Religious Landmarks
The heart of Ommen
revolves around the Vrijthof square and the Grote Kerk (also known as
the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk or Brigittakerk), the town’s oldest
surviving structure. The church’s origins trace back to around 1150
(first mentioned in records around 1238), built on a higher river dune
to replace earlier wooden buildings. It features Gothic architecture
with vaults, stained-glass windows, and a notable organ. The church has
endured multiple damages from fires (e.g., 1330, 1624) and pillages
(1522 by Zwolle forces, 1568 by Spanish troops, and 1672 during the
Rampjaar). It was converted to Protestantism in the 16th century. Two
historic bells—Maria and Salvator, cast in 1517—still ring nightly at 9
p.m., a tradition echoing the old gate-closing ritual. Nearby, you’ll
find remnants of Ommen’s medieval fortifications (walls with gates like
the Vechtpoort) and the former toll house area along the Vecht River,
which once supported trade as a Hanseatic port.
Windmills: Iconic
Dutch Heritage
Ommen boasts five historic windmills, three within the
town itself, symbolizing its agricultural past and river-based economy.
These 19th-century structures are among the most photogenic landmarks:
Molen de Lelie (The Lily, 1846): Fully operational and a working
mill. Guided tours explain its mechanics, and it includes a shop selling
regional products. It stands as a proud symbol of Dutch milling
tradition.
Den Oordt (1842): Operates weekly and now houses the
Streekmuseum Ommen (Regional/Historical Museum). Exhibits cover local
customs, agriculture, trade, crafts, and industry, giving insight into
daily life in historical Ommen.
De Konijnenbelt (1806): The oldest of
the town mills but no longer operational; it adds to the scenic
riverside views.
Nearby villages have additional mills, such as
the renovated Besthmener Molen (1862), which doubles as a Nature
Information Centre with displays on local ecosystems.
Museums:
Unique Cultural Gems
Nationaal Tinnen Figurenmuseum (National Tin
Figures Museum): Housed in the former town hall (a neoclassical building
from the early 19th century on the Vecht bank, near the bridge). This
one-of-a-kind national museum features over 100,000–200,000 hand-painted
tin figurines in elaborate dioramas depicting historical events, battles
(including the local Battle of Ane in 1227), fairy tales, and daily
scenes. It blends art, history, and nostalgia—tin soldiers were once
common children’s toys. Family-friendly and surprisingly engaging for
all ages; it’s often called a “hidden gem.”
Streekmuseum Ommen: As
noted, located inside Den Oordt mill—focuses on regional history.
Bicycle Museum (Fietsmuseum Ommen): Showcases the evolution of cycling
with historic bicycles, accessories, and stories from the late 19th
century onward.
Noble Estates and Castles
Ommen’s countryside
is dotted with historic landgoederen (estates):
Huis Eerde (Eerde
Castle) and Landgoed Eerde: About 4 km southeast, this is a highlight.
The current Dutch-classical style castle dates to 1715 (built on the
site of a 14th-century predecessor destroyed in conflicts). It sits on a
vast 1,667-hectare Baroque estate with formal gardens, monumental tree
avenues, woods, ponds, and parkland managed by Natuurmonumenten. Owned
historically by noble families like the Van Pallandts, it hosted
philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti’s lectures in the 1920s–1930s (Order of
the Star in the East). During WWII, it was the site of Nazi camp Kamp
Erika. Today, the estate is open for public walks and guided tours; the
castle itself houses an international boarding school but the grounds
remain a serene cultural-natural attraction. It also features the
Netherlands’ largest open-air forest theater (Bostheater).
Vilsteren
Country Estate: Features woods, ponds, and gardens tied to noble
history—excellent for peaceful exploration.
Landgoed Het Laer:
Includes a petting zoo (Hertenkamp) and family-friendly elements amid
historic buildings.
Fortifications and Other Historic Sites
Ommerschans (about 10 km north): A 17th-century fortress built to defend
against invasions, later repurposed in the 19th century as a
labor/beggar’s colony (a harsh “reform” facility for the urban poor,
with high mortality). Its remains form an important European heritage
site with educational value.
Natural Landmarks and Scenic Spots
Ommen’s location in the Vecht valley and near the Sallandse Heuvelrug
National Park makes nature a major “landmark”:
Vecht River Views:
Especially scenic near the mills and historic center. Take a trip on the
Vechtzomp, a replica historic flat-bottomed river boat, for guided tours
highlighting shipping history.
Hills and Viewpoints: Lemelerberg,
Archemerberg (rugged trails and views), and the 18-meter Besthmenerberg
Observation Tower for panoramic vistas over heath, forests, and dunes.
De Sahara: A unique sand-drift area with dunes—great for walks, picnics,
or family play.
Prehistory and Early Settlements (c. 9000 BCE–11th century CE)
Human activity in the Ommen area dates back to the Mesolithic period
(around 9000 BCE), with flint artifacts discovered between Ommen and
nearby Mariënberg indicating semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. More
permanent agricultural settlements emerged around 5000 BCE along the
higher, fertile banks of the Vecht and Regge rivers amid the marshy
Salland landscape. The site of Ommen itself was particularly
advantageous due to its river dune (now the elevated church square), a
natural ford for crossing the Vecht, and rich soil for mixed
crop-livestock farming.
Archaeological evidence shows the first
permanent settlement in Ommen proper by the 8th century CE, growing into
a recognizable town by the late 11th century—one of the earliest urban
centers in Overijssel. Early inhabitants were likely Saxon farmers who
also engaged in river trade and innkeeping. Houses were simple hutkommen
(half-buried wooden structures). A church was built around 1150 (later
replaced in stone), and the area came under the influence of the
Prince-Bishops of Utrecht, who had ruled the Oversticht (the eastern
part of their territory) since 1010.
A remarkable prehistoric find
ties into later history: the Ommerschans hoard (c. 1500–1300 BCE, Bronze
Age), discovered in 1896 during peat extraction near the future fortress
site. It included a rare giant ceremonial sword (or dirk) nearly 70 cm
long—unsharpened, without a grip, and likely symbolic rather than
practical—along with other bronze and stone items. Only a handful of
similar oversized swords exist in Europe (mainly Britain, France, and
the Netherlands). The hoard was long considered “lost” after leaving the
Netherlands but was repatriated in 2017 and is now displayed at the
National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.
Medieval Period: City
Rights and Fortification (12th–15th centuries)
Ommen first appears in
written records as de Vmme in 1133 and Ummen in 1227. Growth was
hampered by robber barons from local havezates (manor houses/castles)
like Eerde, who levied illegal tolls and raided trade routes. In 1215
and after the Battle of Ane (1227), the notorious Rudolf of Coevorden
and his Drentish militia pillaged the town.
On 25 August 1248,
Prince-Bishop Otto III of Utrecht granted Ommen full city rights and
fortification privileges—the fourth-oldest city in Overijssel (after
Deventer, Zwolle, and Rijssen). This was a strategic move to secure the
bishop’s control against rebellious Drents and create a fortified base.
Ommen built defensive walls with three gates (Vechtpoort, Varsenerpoort,
and Arriërpoort) but no moat. A toll bridge over the Vecht was
constructed by 1492 (later damaged by ice multiple times and replaced;
tolls continued until 1925).
Economically, Ommen became a regional
port and market for agricultural goods. It joined the Hanseatic League
as a smaller member, linked through Deventer, and traded along river
networks extending to Hesse via the historic Hessenweg. The 15th-century
city seal depicted its patron saint, St. Brigid of Kildare. A copy of
the 1248 charter still exists locally.
Nearby, Eerde Castle
originated as a 14th-century wooden “robbers’ den” belonging to knight
Evert van Essen; it was burned by the Bishop of Utrecht’s forces in
1380. Later owners included the Van Twickelo, Van Renesse, and Van
Pallandt families.
Early Modern Conflicts and the Dutch Golden
Age (16th–17th centuries)
Ommen suffered repeated invasions. In 1522,
forces from Zwolle allied with the Duke of Guelders attacked and largely
destroyed the town (only the church and one hospice survived). It fell
under Guelders rule until 1528, then Habsburg control under Charles V.
Spanish troops under the Duke of Alba pillaged it again in 1568 during
the Eighty Years’ War, though less severely.
The 17th century brought
mixed fortunes. A major fire in 1624 damaged the church. In 1628, the
Ommerschans fortress (about 16 km south) was built as part of a
defensive line to protect northern provinces against Spanish-aligned
forces after the Twelve Years’ Truce. It was captured without resistance
in 1672 during the Rampjaar (Disaster Year) by troops of the Bishops of
Münster and Cologne but later regained. The fort was briefly
decommissioned in 1715 and reactivated in 1740.
18th–19th
Centuries: Reforms, Riots, and Social Experiments
Citizen unrest
peaked with a 1732 uprising against the ruling oligarchy. Napoleonic
changes followed: in 1810 Ommen became a mairie under French annexation;
post-1813 independence led to municipal reorganizations (Stad Ommen,
Ambt Ommen, etc., unified by 1923). A new city hall was built in the
19th century.
Ommerschans was repurposed in 1818–1819 as one of the
Colonies of Benevolence—a social experiment by the Society of
Weldadigheid to rehabilitate beggars, vagrants, and the urban poor
through forced agricultural labor on reclaimed wetlands. Harsh
conditions led to high mortality (an estimated 5,448 deaths from
1819–1889). The colony closed in 1889.
20th Century: Scouting,
Spirituality, and World War II
Ommen gained international fame in the
1920s–1930s through scouting and esotericism. Baron Philip van Pallandt
donated land at his Eerde estate for the Dutch scouting movement
(starting with leader training courses in 1923). Eerde became a major
campsite; nearby Ada’s Hoeve (Gilwell) remains a scouting center today.
The same estate hosted Jiddu Krishnamurti and the Order of the Star in
the East. Krishnamurti held major Star Camps at Ommen in the
1920s–1930s; in 1929, before about 3,000 followers, he dramatically
dissolved the Order in a famous speech, rejecting organized
spirituality.
World War II left deep scars. A small Jewish community
(present since the 18th century) was decimated; the synagogue was
demolished postwar. Kamp Erika (also called Camp Ommen), a Nazi
penal/concentration camp on the Besthmenerberg (opened 1941/42), held
around 2,975 prisoners—initially black marketeers and economic
offenders, later students and resistance fighters. Dutch guards under
German oversight were notoriously brutal, with beatings, starvation, and
forced labor; about 175 deaths occurred. Post-liberation, it briefly
held Dutch collaborators. The site is now an international boarding
school.
Allied aircraft crashes (at least eight documented sites in
1942–1943) dot the landscape; memorials and information panels now mark
them. Ommen was liberated on 11 April 1945 by the 1st Battalion Black
Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of the Canadian forces. Memorials
include the town hall monument, cemeteries, and sites tied to the
liberation.
Post-War and Contemporary Era
After 1945, Ommen
rebuilt and embraced tourism, leveraging its natural beauty (forests and
heathlands cover much of the area), historic core, and scouting legacy.
Municipal boundaries were stable except for a 1997 adjustment involving
Lemelerveld. The Bissing fair (dating to 1557) resumed as a cultural
event. The old city hall now houses a historical museum. Low Saxon
(Sallands) dialect persists culturally, alongside Protestant and revived
Catholic communities.
Today, Ommen balances heritage preservation
(e.g., WWII memorials, archaeological sites) with modern life as a
tourist destination for nature, boating, cycling, and events. Local
initiatives like OudOmmen.nl document plane crashes, liberations, and
family histories, while annual remembrances honor victims.
Municipality Size and Boundaries
The municipality covers 182.01
km² (about 70.27 sq mi), of which 179.90 km² is land and 2.11 km² is
water. Its boundaries have remained largely stable since 1923 (with one
minor eastern adjustment in 1997 transferring part of Lemelerveld to
Dalfsen). The area is distinctly rural, with a population of around
18,000–19,000, yielding a low density of roughly 100–102 people per km².
It forms part of the broader Salland landscape, which transitions from
flatter lowlands to gently undulating terrain influenced by glacial and
fluvial processes.
Topography and Elevation
Ommen’s
topography is low-lying but more varied than the famously flat western
Dutch polders. The town center sits at about 6 m (20 ft) above sea
level, with the municipal average around 7–8 m. The landscape is shaped
by the Vecht river valley, featuring fertile alluvial deposits on higher
riverbanks and dunes, alongside historically marshy lowlands.
A
prominent local feature is a river dune beneath the church square, which
stands noticeably higher than the surrounding streets to the east and
south. This elevated, drier ground historically attracted early
settlements. The wider Salland area includes glacial push moraines
(stuwwallen) from the Saalian ice age, creating rolling hills. The most
notable nearby is the Lemelerberg (also called Archemerberg near the
village of Lemele), rising to about 77–78 m—one of the highest points in
Salland. Other hills include the Besthemerberg (around 32 m). These
provide panoramic views over the valley and support diverse habitats
like heathlands and forests.
The terrain transitions from riverine
lowlands (prone to flooding in pre-modern times) to sandy uplands and
heath-covered hills. Wetlands near Ommerschans were reclaimed in the
19th century (1859–1889) into farmland through labor camps, transforming
a roughly 4 × 2.5 km marshy zone.
Hydrology
The Overijsselse
Vecht (often simply called the Vecht) and its tributary the Regge are
the defining hydrological features. The Vecht flows westward through the
northern Salland region, passing Ommen before continuing toward the
IJsselmeer system. The Regge joins it nearby. These rivers provided
fertile silt deposits, a natural ford for trade routes, and transport
corridors (though today limited to smaller ships and yachts).
Historically, the rivers shaped settlement patterns from around 5,000
BCE onward, as higher banks offered drier, cultivable land amid
surrounding marshes. A toll bridge over the Vecht (first built in 1492)
was repeatedly damaged by ice floes until its removal in 1925. Smaller
streams, ditches, and canals crisscross the area, supporting drainage
and recreation. The municipality contains minor water bodies totaling
about 2 km².
Climate
Ommen experiences a temperate oceanic
climate (Cfb in the Köppen classification), typical of the Netherlands
but slightly more inland than coastal areas. It features mild winters,
cool summers, and year-round precipitation influenced by Atlantic
westerlies and the North Sea.
Annual average temperature:
Approximately 10.4 °C (50.6 °F).
Summer: July/August highs average
23–24 °C (73–75 °F), with rare extremes above 30 °C.
Winter:
January/February lows around 0–1 °C (32–34 °F), highs 4–7 °C (39–45 °F).
Precipitation: 840–863 mm (33–34 inches) annually, distributed across
~140–150 rainy days, with no pronounced dry season.
The climate
supports lush vegetation but also contributes to historical flooding
risks in low-lying riverine zones.
Vegetation, Nature Reserves,
and Biogeography
Ommen’s landscapes blend river meadows, deciduous
and coniferous forests, extensive heathlands, sandy plains, juniper
scrub, and even inland “drift-sand” dunes (locally called the Sahara
area). These are remnants of post-glacial aeolian processes and were
later stabilized with pine plantations. The hills and forests contrast
sharply with the Netherlands’ more uniform lowlands, making the area a
biodiversity hotspot and hiking destination (part of trails like the
Pieterpad).
Key protected areas include:
Lemelerberg /
Archemerberg Nature Reserve (part of the larger Sallandse Heuvelrug
area): Roughly 1,000 hectares of heathland, sand flats, woodlands,
springs, and juniper. It is a Natura 2000 site supporting species like
sand lizards. Panoramic views and varied terrain make it a premier
hiking spot.
Eerde Castle Estate: A 1,667-hectare Baroque-style park
and nature area (managed by Natuurmonumenten since 1965), featuring
forests, meadows, and public trails southeast of town.
State forests
(Boswachterij Ommen) and linked reserves with fens, mixed woods, and the
Sahara dunes.
Natural forest covers a small but significant
portion locally (around 480 ha or ~3% in recent data), contributing to
the regional emphasis on nature tourism alongside agriculture.
Ommen has a large number of associations. This is still often done
through the familiar pillars: general, Christian and reformed-liberated.
The oldest associations include the Crescendo harmony, founded in 1908,
and the Ommen football association, which was founded in 1921 (now
OVC'21).
After the Second World War, the Ommer Saturday afternoon
Football Association (OZC) and Christian Music Association Soli Deo
Gloria (SDG, popularly known as Soli) were established, among others.
Soli's percussion group is very successful at the highest national
level. On February 9, 2008, this group became Dutch Champion Podium
Orchestras. On July 31, 2009, the group became vice world champion
during the World Music Competition in Kerkrade.
Ommen also has a
scouting group: the Van Pallandt group, named after Baron van Pallandt
van Eerde.
Ommen has a number of local specialities:
Zûte plassies - a
usually pentagonal roll of seasoned bread dough; the exact composition
is a secret of the Ommer bakers, but includes cumin and anise; only
available from late October to mid-December.
Since 2006, Ommen has had the Vechtdalmarathon 2-day, a running race
in which the distance of a marathon is run over three races.
Ommen had two field football clubs until 2021: Saturday club OZC and
Sunday club OVC '21. The youth departments of these two clubs had
already merged in April 2017 into Youth Club Ommen (JCO). In 2021, both
clubs merged and will now continue under the name FC Ommen.
Volleyball club Volco was founded in 1963. She played in the premier
league for a long time, but later at a lower level. In Ommen there is
also the hockey club MHC Ommen and a bicycle cross club called FCC de
Bissinghcrossers.
In 2006, Skating-Training-Groep “De Doorloper”
merged with IJsvereniging Ommen under the name IJsvereniging De
Doorloper Ommen. He manages the local natural ice rink, has a training
group on the artificial ice rink in Enschede and does cycling (touring
cycling in groups).
Palm Easter parade - on the Saturday before Palm Sunday there is a
palm Easter parade for the youngest youth. The Palm Easter sticks -
traditionally not a cross in Ommen, but a peeled stick with 'swans' and
a bread wreath, decorated with boxwood twigs, raisins and an orange -
are inspected before the parade by the Community of Oll Ommer
Egg
tapping on Easter Monday - For more than a century, groups of four
people have been egg tapping on Easter Monday after church on Kerkplein
around eleven o'clock. One player holds an egg in the fist of which only
the top is visible, the other taps it with another egg. First point to
point and then butt to butt; if both eggs are damaged, the two whole
sides are tapped together. Whoever taps the last egg of the other
players is the winner and receives the tagged eggs as a prize.
Easter
fire on Easter Monday.
Ommer Bissingh - traditional annual market on
the second Tuesday of July, supplemented by a series of events.
Near Ommen the N34/340 and the N48/348 cross each other. The N34 was laid across the Markt in Ommen at the end of the 1960s, when the bed of the Vecht was widened and a new bridge was built. A large number of buildings have been demolished for this and the face of the city has changed considerably. Until mid-2010, this connection was a notorious bottleneck for traffic between Zwolle and Hardenberg due to the various intersections and traffic lights. Since the summer of 2010, the N34 ends at Witte Paal and the N36 has a new route north of Ommen, so that through traffic no longer passes through the centre. The Markt in Ommen was then redesigned and once again forms part of the city.
Since January 15, 1903, Ommen has had a rail connection with Zwolle, as part of the Zwolle - Stadskanaal railway line, constructed by the NOLS. The station building, located on the south side at a considerable distance from the centre, was designed by Eduard Cuypers. In 1905 the connection with Stadskanaal was also established. The section between Emmen and Stadskanaal was later taken out of use. From 1910 to 1935 there was also a direct railway line Deventer - Ommen via Raalte, built by the OLDO. For years people have tried to extend this line to Hoogeveen, with the municipalities of Ambt-Ommen, Stad-Ommen, Avereest, Zuidwolde and Hoogeveen wanting to contribute financially. The designed railway would considerably shorten the distance from Groningen to Deventer and Twente. Partly due to the emergence of the bus in the 1920s, these plans were never realised. The extension of the railway line (Winterswijk) - Neede - Hellendoorn to Ommen was also never completed due to the estimated low numbers of goods and passengers.
Line 81 (Ommen - Westerhaar - Almelo) is a regional bus and runs a maximum of 2x per hour. Line 568 (Ommen - Dalfsen) is a local bus and runs once every 1.5 hours during the day. Regular bus connections to Deventer, Almelo (via Nijverdal), Hardenberg and Zwolle have been cancelled.
Until the end of the 19th century, the Vecht was often used for
shipping. They sailed with small boats, the so-called fighting zomps.
Bentheimer sandstone, among other things, was transported over the
Vecht. To avoid the high tolls at the German border, the skippers did a
lot of smuggling. However, due to low water levels in the summer and the
large number of bends, sailing times were long.
In the middle of
the 19th century, the Dedemsvaart canal was completed north of Ommen,
with the Ommer Canal as a side canal. At the time, the canal ran along
the east side of the city, where there was a harbor at the
Hardenbergerweg. At that time there was no direct connection with the
Vecht. However, it was possible to spout water on an old fighting arm
via a culvert under the Hardenbergerweg. Shipping moved from the Vecht
to the new canal. In 1964 the canal was closed to shipping. A new route
was created west of Ommen. It now serves as a drainage canal.