Emmen lies in the north east of the Netherlands, just a few km away from the German border. It is about 185 km from of Amsterdam and 270 km from Hamburg in Germany. The city is located in the province of Drenthe, with a population of slightly more than 100,000 people.
Emmen is known as what is called a planned city. In other words, it did not just spring up by accident but was rather planned out deliberately and carefully before it’s founding. There are a number of monumental building in the city centre though, including several churches. The most notable one is the Grote Kerk, with a Roman tower originating in the 12th century. The Pauluskerk seems a lot older than it actually is due to its design, but originates in 1949. It is nonetheless a national monument. Also, two Saxon farm buildings remain in the city centre, one on the market square, now housing a café. Emmen lies on the southernmost tip of a chain hills called the Hondsrug (Dog Ridge), an area with many forests, which is popular with cyclists and ramblers alike. This part of the country is also well known for its "hunebedden" (dolmens), Stone Age burial chambers. Some of these lie within the built-up area of Emmen itself.
Dierenpark Emmen, a well known zoo, attracts nearly 1.5 million visitors a year. Other attractions include a yearly bike race, called the Gouden Pijl, which has been held since 1976 and has grown to include both a men’s and women’s race.
From most destinations in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam, or Schiphol Airport, you can board an intercity service to Zwolle and change trains there. To Amsterdam, the journey will take about 2.5 hours.
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