- Nijverdal
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Nijverdal 
Sallandse Heuvelrug in de omgeving van Nijverdal (Noetselerberg)
Country Netherlands Province Overijssel Municipality Hellendoorn Population (22 februari 2008) 25.010 
Nijverdal, church
Nijverdal is a town of approximately 25.000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is the commercial centre of the municipality Hellendoorn.
Nijverdal (which means Industrious Valley) was founded in 1836 on the territory of the hamlet Noetsele. It was here that the industrial revolution in the Netherlands took root. It has been said that Thomas Ainsworth (1795-1841) was one of its founding fathers, but this has not been confirmed. Textile production was the focus of industrial activity in Nijverdal, as it was for the rest of the Twente region. Some of the traditional factory buildings in the Art Deco or Jugendstil style still remain.
A small river called the Regge runs through the town's centre.
History
Before world war II Nijverdal had a small Jewish community. The municipal seat of the area, Hellendoorn, had a small synagogue and Jewish cemetery. The synagogue still exists as a storage shed behind one of the houses in the village, and the cemetery is no longer in use. It has about 20 graves, most from the nineteenth century and early 20th century. The municipality maintains the cemetery and protects it from vandalism.
The Jewish community was essentially erased by the Holocaust. Most of its members perished in Sobibor and Auschwitz.
On March, 22nd 1945, Nijverdal was severely bombed by allied bombers who were going after the German Reichskommissar of Austrian origine Arthur Seyss-Inquart. Seyss-Inquart was fleeing the advancing Allied forces and had set up his temporary headquarters in the Reformed School in Nijverdal, but had already left town at the time of the bombing. Over 70 people were killed, mainly at de Grotestraat.
In 1955, part of the municipality of Wierden was annexed (Eversberg, Konijnenbelt, Slettenhaar and Lochter) which is the only part of the municipality located on originally Twente soil. In the late 70's the quarter of 'het Lochter' arose here.
Transportation
- Railway station: Nijverdal
From 1 December 2009 until 2012 a second temporary railway station will open: Nijverdal West. This is due to major improvements to the road and rail in Nijverdal. At this moment Nijverdal is split in two because of a 750 m traffic tunnel that is being built. Only one traffic bridge, one pedestrian/bike bridge and one small tunnel connect the north side to the south side.
Services to Zwolle will depart from 'Nijverdal West', and services to Almelo, Hengelo and Enschede will depart from 'Nijverdal'.
Sports
Nijverdal has a good Water polo club, named Het Ravijn, of which both men and women teams play in the Dutch Premier League. Some of the women's team play for the Dutch team, which won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
There is a large amount of sports clubs in Nijverdal:
- Swimming/Water polo - Swimming and Water Polo Club Het Ravijn, of which both men and women teams play in the Dutch Water Polo Premier League, one of the world's largest Water polo competitions.
- Athletics - AV Atletics
- Badminton - B.C. Reflex Nijverdal
- Basketball - The Valley Bucketeers
- Bridge - Bridgeclub Reggedal
- Darts - Eversberg Darts
- Hockey - Hockeyclub Hellendoorn/Nijverdal H.C.H.N.
- Gymnastics - Gymnastics Club O.K.K.
- Korfball - NKC'51
- Shooting sports - L.S.V.N Nijverdal
- (Table)tennis - Tennis Club Nijverdal - Table tennis Club Match Point `68
- Soccer - VV DES; S.V. ENC '09; Hulzense Boys; RKSV De Zweef; S.V.V.N.
- Volleyball - Volleyball Club Flash Nijverdal; Volleyball Club V.E.C.
- Bicycle racing - Cycling Club CC'75; Cyclo-cross Club De Lochsprinters
Categories:- Populated places in Overijssel
- Salland
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