Description

Enschede is the largest city in Overijssel. This municipality has over 157,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Twente region a few kilometres from the Dutch-German border. The nearest town to the West is Hengelo, to the East is the German city of Gronau, to the North Oldenzaal and to the South Haaksbergen. Enschede has a harbour at the terminus of the Twente Canal; many streams also run through the city.

Like many student cities, Enschede has a lively nightlife. Especially on the Oude Markt and its side streets are many places of entertainment. Events regularly take place on the Oude Markt. There are also several pop stages, museums and a theatre. The municipality has a number of national and war monuments.

Enschede also has a lot to offer on the sports front. It has the oldest marathon in the Netherlands: the annual Enschede Marathon. Professional football club FC Twente plays matches in the Eredivisie in stadium De Grolsch Veste, which has a capacity of over 30,000 spectators. Since 2008, Enschede has had a 400-metre ice rink: IJsbaan Twente.
Enschede has sufficient primary, secondary and higher education and a university.

The city is developing rapidly. The inner city was revitalised from the 1980s onwards by creating a car-free city yard and filling in vacant industrial sites with housing, shopping centres and offices.