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Almelo

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Almelo
Municipality
Location of Almelo
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceOverijssel
Area
(2006)
 • Total69.40 km2 (26.80 sq mi)
 • Land67.43 km2 (26.03 sq mi)
 • Water1.96 km2 (0.76 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January, 2007)
 • Total72,103
 • Density1,069/km2 (2,770/sq mi)
 Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
The catholic church of Almelo

Almelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie and Bornerbroek.

Almelo has about 72,000 inhabitants in the middle of the rolling countryside of Twente, with the industrial centres of Enschede and Hengelo as close neighbours but also with tourist towns like Ootmarsum, Delden and Markelo only a bicycle ride away. Almelo received city rights in 1394. Within the city limits lies the castle of the Counts of Almelo.

At the end of the 19th century textile emerged as a major employer and drew many workers to Almelo, at first from within the Netherlands. Since the 1960s workers from Spain and Turkey came to Almelo. The first mosque of the Netherlands was built in Almelo in 1976 for the Turkish population of the city.

In the 1970s the industry dwindled and most factories were relocated to countries with cheaper labour. Some factories remain in the city centre and are now in use for apartments or offices.

Currently, a major employer in Almelo is Urenco Nederland. This is a uranium enrichment plant which produces uranium with about five percent U-235, for nuclear reactors. It uses the gas centrifuge method and produces 2.8 MSWU/year. A bakery factory, Bolletje, PANalytical (formerly Philips) and the regional court are also major employers.

Worth seeing is Huize Almelo, a centuries-old castle in the city centre. There are mosaics which decorate the walls of the tunnel close to the railway station.

On June 16th 2008, a hostage situation in the City Hall took place.

Notable people born in Almelo

See also

Twin cities

References

52°21′N 6°40′E / 52.350°N 6.667°E / 52.350; 6.667

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