Assen

In the 1260s, in the province of Drenthe, on the orders of the Bishop of Utrecht , a Cistercian monastery was built, around which the villages of Deurse, Witten and Pelo grew out of several farms. Over time, the population grew and Assen was formed, which became around 1600 the actual capital of the province after the abbey was closed. From the monastery, the city got the coat of arms, which, like the coat of arms of the province of Drenthe, depicts the Mother of God with a baby. Today on the territory of the monastery is the museum of Drenthe, built in 1882 as the seat of the provincial government.

Until 1807, Assen was part of the municipality of Rolde . Even during the time of the abbey, the religious center was located in Rolde. Only in 1815 did his own pastor appear in Assen. Assen received the status of a city in 1809 , after which the city began to grow rapidly: in 1823, the publication of a newspaper began, in 1825 a Latin school was opened, in 1830 - a post with Groningen , a court - in 1840 , a military garrison appeared in 1852 , In 1870 the railway station was opened.

From the beginning of the 20th century, Assen began to play a more important industrial role. Initially, it was a city of officials, but the emergence of a slaughterhouse, a dairy, and an iron foundry opened up new directions for its development and contributed to the influx of the population. In the 1930s, Assen became a provincial health center after the construction of several psychiatric hospitals and other medical facilities.

After the Second World War , Assen’s population did not exceed 20,000 inhabitants, but industrial growth (in particular, the appearance of the Dutch oil company in the city) had a positive effect on population growth rates. Today, Assen has a population of over 64 thousand people and continues to grow.

In the vicinity of Assen there are the graves of ancient peoples ( niderl. Hunebedden - dolmens ), which Tacitus also mentions; these are large stones, on which other, equally heavy stones are laid across; they also found urns with ashes, battle axes and so on.

In 1955, the famous TT Circuit Assen racing circuit was built in the city, where motor and motorcycle races take place, including the Moto Grand Prix of Holland . Racing competitions in Assen took place before, before the construction of the track, since the Dutch Grand Prix has been held in the city since 1925 , initially its route passed through the surrounding villages.

• Anke-Jani Landman - Dutch short trekist , prize - winner of the World Short Track Championship in 1992 , two-time prize-winner of the European Short Track Track Championship 1998 and 2001 .

• The official site of the city (nid.)
• Assen, city // Encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 t. (82 t. And 4 extra.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.