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Meppel

City and municipality in Drenthe, Netherlands From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Meppel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛpəl] ⓘ; Drents: Möppelt) is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It constitutes the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe. Meppel is the smallest municipality in Drenthe, with a total area of about 57 km2 (22 sq mi). As of 1 July 2021, it had a population of 34,506 with over 30,000 inhabitants within city limits.

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While it is a small city, it has a rich trading history. Agriculture and shipbuilding were important sources of income for Meppel. The market also played an important regional role. The city owes its regional tourist appeal to its accessibility via the canals for pleasure boats and its characteristic, densely built-up old town center with its squares.

People born in Meppel are occasionally referred to as Meppeler Muggen in Dutch;[5] this translates as 'mosquitoes from Meppel'. The nickname comes from a traditional folk tale. The people of Meppel thought the church tower was on fire, but after closer inspection, they realised it was only a swarm of mosquitoes.[6]

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History

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Meppel flourished in the 16th century as an inland harbour for peat transport and distribution. It was an important transit port thanks to its connection to the Drentsche Hoofdvaart and Hoogeveense Vaart canals on one side and the Meppelerdiep canal on the other. The Zuiderzee could be reached via the Meppelerdiep canal at Zwartsluis. Peat was exported from all over Drenthe to the west of the country along this route.[7] Now only one waterway remains in the town.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, many bargemen settled in the town, which had received city rights from the bailiff of Drenthe in 1644 and now had more than a thousand inhabitants. In 1809, Meppel was again granted city rights by Louis Napoleon. On 5 November 1815, Meppel received its own city regulations from King William I.[8]

Canals

Partly because of the canal names Heerengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht, the city is sometimes called the Mokum of the North (even if the name is more used for Winschoten).[9] Meppel is also compared to Amsterdam for other reasons. For example, there were centuries of ties between the two cities, and the Jewish community was well represented in Meppel before the Second World War.

In the twentieth century, several canals that ran straight through the city center were filled in. Several drawbridges were also replaced by fixed bridges. Since then, it has become impossible to sail through Meppel into Drenthe, partly due to the narrowing of the Hoogeveense Vaart in 2005 near the Oosterboer.

On 1 October 1867, Meppel railway station opened to service, drastically improving connectivity in the region. On 1 January 1998, the municipality of Nijeveen, northwest of Meppel, was merged with that of Meppel, retaining the latter name.[10]

20th century

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Aerial photograph of Meppel, 1920 - 1940

During World War II, almost all of Meppel's Jewish residents were transported to concentration camps by the German occupiers and lost their lives there. Of the 250 Meppel Jews, 232 perished, and only 18 returned.[11]

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Geography

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Map of Meppel municipality
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2014 topographic map of the city of Meppel

Meppel is located at 52°42′N 6°11′E in the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe in the northeastern part of the Netherlands.

The Meppelerdiep, the Drentsche Hoofdvaart and the Hoogeveense Vaart connect Meppel to Zwartsluis, Assen and Hoogeveen. To offload professional transport vessels the Omgelegde Hoogeveense Vaart was dug out south of the city. The Meppelerdiep is accessible for boats with a size of 2,000 ton.

The streams Reest and Wold Aa run through the city. The Reest end in the Meppeler Diep.

The population centres in the municipality are:

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Harbor

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Meppel harbor art by Karel Klinkenberg

Meppel is accessible by water for vessels up to approximately 3,000 tons and is located on the main waterway network. Meppel is connected to Zwartsluis and subsequently the IJsselmeer via the Meppelerdiep canal. Meppel also provides access to the Drentsche Hoofdvaart canal. It has a relatively large and easily accessible inland harbor that serves a large region. The port of Meppel cooperates with those of Kampen and Zwolle.

There are several shipyards in Meppel, for both commercial and pleasure craft.[12] There are also several loading and unloading companies with their own unloading docks.[13]

Transportation

Main article: Meppel railway station

Meppel is served by national and regional train connections with Zwolle to the southwest, which leads to the west and south of the country, as well as Leeuwarden and Groningen to the northwest and northeast respectively. The city's station is located on both the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway (Staatslijn A) and Meppel–Groningen railway (Staatslijn C). Meppel station is a major hub for travelers from the north, including intercity trains to The Hague and Rotterdam. The station is the fourth-largest train station (after Groningen, Leeuwarden, and Assen) in the north, with an average of almost 6,500 passengers boarding and alighting per day (source: NS, 2018).

There are regular and frequent bus lines within Meppel and towards Zwolle, Hoogeveen and Assen.[citation needed]

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Map of the old DSM routes in red (Meppel is on the left)

In 1908, Meppel received a steam tram connection by the Dedemsvaartsche Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij (DSM) company. The line ran from Meppel to Balkbrug with a length of 22 km. The service closed in about 1939.[14]

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Twin towns – sister cities

Meppel is twinned with:[15]

Notable people

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Louise Fresco
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Petrus Kiers

The arts

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Gallery

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    Statue in the city centre
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    City hall
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    Windmill (de Weert)
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    Two drawbridges
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    Ship de Vereeniging III
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    Watertower
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    Historical centre of Meppel

References

External links

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