"Assen, capitol of Drenthe's countryside" Assen by Pavlik_NL

Assen Travel Guide: 131 reviews and 368 photos

Unknown often makes unloved ...

... which in this case is rather unfair as Assen is a friendly capitol with a compact centre that offers it's region (the province of Drenthe first) a complete selection of shops, entertainment and culture. The town is not so big, one can better speak about a village that has quite a lot of inhabitants (around 62.500 in 2004). This however can as much speak in favour of the place then be held against it. The shopping centre is cosy and friendly and offers a nice wariation in products. Furthermore the town as a few attractions, but those can be found out in my tip.

Within the land of "Bartje"

Bartje bidt niet voor bruine bonen ...

One of the nicest stories within the Netherlands is surely the legend of "Bartje", the farmers son within a typical (poor) family in Drenthe of the 19th century. The story shows wonderfully the was the people then lived and worked, the relgious and political changes of the regional Netherlands and teh problems that simple people had to deal with. The book, by Anne de Vries, as well as the television series, were quite popular in the Netherlands. Especially the phrase "ik bid nie vur bruun bon'n" (I will not pray for brown beans - spoken in dialect) is famous throughout the Netherlands.

Town with the mansions

Remarkable buildings within the Assen centre

One of the nicknames of Assen is that it is the town of mansions. And indeed, when one drives around the town and walks within the centre, there are some significant nice houses that draw your attention to their wonderful facades. Some of them have gotten a specific use (museum, exposition space etc.), others are still the estates of wealthy families.

Intro Updated Mar 15, 2005
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Reviews (16)

The TT in Assen is a yearly event. - Assen

Motor races in Assen ... the famous TT Things to Do (8)

Assen has a famous name in the motor racing world. Yearly the TT of Assen attracts thousands and thousands of motor fans... more travel advice

Statue at the beginning of the canal - Assen

Another statue, but honouring what? Local Customs (2)

(sex) film industry? more travel advice

The Drenthe canal connecting Assen to other towns - Assen

Assen, taken into the waterways of the... Things to Do (8)

more travel advice

Small antique kiosk boot, still available in Assen - Assen

Things you don't see somewhere else... Off The Beaten Path (1)

like some other things in some other towns, assen has it's special side but is sadly way of the beaten track for most... more travel advice

Comments (3)

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sachara Oct 10, 2005 at 10:40 AM

Paul, leuk dat je mijn HP bezocht. Last month I looked for the sculpture you asked me about (sex film industry). I saw the sign 'film screen' by Annet Haring, offered in 1995 by the 'women film festival', the most known annual festival in Assen.
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arasnosliw Mar 20, 2005 at 6:50 PM

I do hope you make it to Vancouver some day, you'll enjoy it. Thanks for this page on a city I know relatively little about.
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Gili_S Mar 17, 2005 at 9:53 AM

I always heard the name Assen (and I used to mixed it with Essen) but I never had the chance to visit here. We have forum in Helsinki as well, and that was way to far for anyone to invade here :-))