"Emmen, old and new...." a Emmen Travel Page by sachara

Emmen is situated in the north-east of the Netherlands near the German border. Emmen, orginally an agricultural village in the 19th century has -as a booming city- developed in the last 50 years into a modern industrial municipality with industrial and horticultural areas. In the sixties and seventies the original town is surrounded by several newtowns, very known by townplanners and architects.
In 2002 the modern shopping centre in the south of the city centre has renewed and can serve now the 250.000 customers in the region, also in a part of Germany.

Within the borders of the municipality Emmen has also a lot of open and green space. Near the German border is a great Nature Reserve of moorland and peat-swamp, named the Bargerveen.
Also the heart of the city is very green with old oaks around two monuments, a church (still in use as church, but also an exhibition- and concerthall) and a former traditional farm-house (now a restaurant, but also a gallery). The entrance of the famous Zoo of Emmen is also in the heart of the city. In summer there are also some great festivals with 30.000-50.000 visitors in the 'shared space' area of the citycentre.

North of the green heart of the city is the older part of the citycentre. Here you can find smaller and more specialized shops and boutiques. Many owners of the shops start to renovate their buildings in old style. I feel very favoured to live within a five-minutes walking distance from this part and the green heart.