Hoogeveen

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hoogeveen

---

mapsize = 280px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Netherlands
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Drenthe
area_footnotes = (2006)
area_total_km2 = 129.22
area_land_km2 = 127.77
area_water_km2 = 1.45
population_as_of = 1 January, 2007
population_note = Source: CBS, [http://statline.cbs.nl/ Statline] .
settlement_type = Municipality
population_total = 54345
population_density_km2 = 425
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2

Hoogeveen (Pronunciation|032 Hoogeveen.ogg) is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.

Population centres

Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town. Other villages of the town are Hollandscheveld, Nieuw Moscou, Nieuweroord, Nieuwlande, Pesse, Stuifzand and Tiendeveen.

Hoogeveen

It dates its history to December 20, 1625, when Roelof van Echten bought a large tract of peat land from farmers of the district with the plan to harvest its peat. One old map of the area called it "Locus Deserta Atque ob Multos Paludes Invia", a deserted and impenetrable place of many swamps.

Its coat of arms, granted November 10, 1819, is white, with a pile of peat covered in straw in the center and beehives on each side, representing the town's first two major industries.

Vincent van Gogh visited the area in the fall of 1883. [ Dead link to [http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/040405fa_fact The New Yorker] ]

In the second half of the 1960s, Hoogeveen was the fastest growing town in the Netherlands. Its rapid growth during that period led its city council to fill most of the town's canals, canals dug in the area's early days when it was a prime source of peat.

Access to the town is provided by the A28 (Utrecht - Groningen) highway, the N/A37 (Hoogeveen - Germany), and the Western Cities - Groningen railway.

The then recognized oldest person in the world, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, lived in Hoogeveen until her death in August 2005.

Hoogeveen also has a small airport that attracts some tourism.

Sister cities

* Martin, Slovakia

Resources

Notes

References

*Dijk, Wout J., & van der Sluis, Meent W.: "De Drentse tijd van Vincent van Gogh", Boon uitgeverij, Groningen 2001 ISBN 90-75913-18-4

External links

* [http://www.hoogeveen.nl Official website]