Drenthe Facts for Kids

Map: Province of Drenthe in the Netherlands

The flag of Drenthe province

The coat of arms for Drenthe

Drenthe (say it like "DREN-te") is a province located in the northeast of the Netherlands. Its capital city is Assen. To the south, you'll find Overijssel, and to the west is Friesland. Groningen is to the north. East of Drenthe is Lower Saxony, which is a part of Germany.

A Look at Drenthe's Past
- Drenthe During World War II
Cities and Towns in Drenthe
- Drenthe's Municipalities
Drenthe's Unique Language
More About Drenthe
Images for kids
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A Look at Drenthe's Past

Thousands of years ago, people already lived in Drenthe. Around 3500 BC, these early people built special structures called dolmens (or hunebedden in Dutch). These are huge piles of big stones. Drenthe is home to 53 out of the 54 dolmens found in the Netherlands! Most of them are in the northeastern part of the province.

The oldest written record mentioning Drenthe is from 820. It was called Pago Treanth, which meant "district Drenthe." Later papers from 1024 and 1025 show that it was a county during that time.

From 1046 until 1528, the bishops of Utrecht were in charge of Drenthe. Then, from 1581 until 1795, it was part of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces. However, Drenthe itself was not yet a full province. It finally became a province for the first time in 1796, under the Batavian Republic.

Drenthe During World War II

During the Second World War, the Nazis built a concentration camp near Westerbork. From this camp, they forced Dutch Jews onto trains. These trains took them to other camps in Germany and Poland. Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who wrote a famous diary, was on the very last train from Westerbork. She sadly died in the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in Germany. After the war, her diary became known all over the world.

Cities and Towns in Drenthe

Drenthe has several important cities. The capital city is Assen. Other big cities include Emmen, Meppel, and Hoogeveen. Much of Drenthe's landscape features open heathland.

Drenthe's Municipalities

Here are the different municipalities (local government areas) that make up Drenthe:

Drenthe's Unique Language

Many people in Drenthe speak Low Saxon dialects. These local ways of speaking are known as Drents. What's interesting is that the Drents dialect can sound a bit different from one town or village to another!

Here are some examples of Drents:

Drents in Emmen:	We moet'n nie zo haas'n'n. (This means: "We do not have to hurry.")
Drents in Ruinen:	een, tweej, drai, vier, vaif, zees, zeeve, aach, neuge, tein. (This is how they count from 1 to 10.)
Drents in Noordenveld:	ain, twai, drai, vaier, vief zes, zeum, aacht, neegn, tien. (Another way to count from 1 to 10.)
Drents in Ruinerwold (about 10 km from Ruinen):	iene, tweie, dreie, veere, vieve, zesse, zeum, achte, neegn, tiene. (And yet another way to count from 1 to 10!)