Rijssen

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The official Rijssen sign

Rijssen (Low Saxon: Riesn) is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Rijssen-Holten

1 History
2 Facilities/tourism
3 People
4 Dialect
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Rijssen received city rights on the 5th of May, 1243, but existed long before this. The original city rights bill was lost in a large fire that swept through the city, reducing the city hall and the keep to rubble, but in the year 2006 a copy was given to the newly instated city council. From the old city, only a church and a few houses dating from the 18th century are left. In the 19th and early 20th century, Rijssen had some textiles factories; they had to close down in the 1970s due to overpowering Asian competition.

[edit] Facilities/tourism

The Pelmolen

Rijssen has multiple shopping facilities in its centre, which also accommodates a number of bars, pubs and lunchrooms. It has a large discotheque that attracts visitors from all neighbouring towns and villages. The small city has a fire brigade museum and a monumental church, the Schildkerk. The restored and fully functional mill de Pelmolen is one of the major attractions of the city.

Rijssen is located in an ample-forested area, accommodating a number of renowned camp sites.

[edit] People

The inhabitants of Rijssen are known for their pride for their city, their self-sufficiency and working ethos. This pride shows in the fact that Rijssen has its own anthem. Rijssen is to quite an extent influenced by orthodox Protestant church communities; a large percentage of Rijssen's population is a member of one of these conservative groups. Throughout the years this has guaranteed a very positive working ethos, resulting in Rijssen having one of the most thriving and fastest growing economies in the Netherlands. Rijssen also has a growing community of Molukkish, Turkish, Syrian and Moroccan people, who contribute to the diversity of the city.

[edit] Dialect

Rijssen's self-reliancy shows in, among other features, its dialect. Although it is a variety of Twents, which is itself a variety of Dutch Low Saxon, it has preserved a very distinct character throughout the years that is immediately recognisable, although hard to understand for outsiders.

Rijssen was a separate municipality until it merged with Holten in 2001. The name of the new municipality was "Rijssen", but it was renamed to "Rijssen-Holten" in 2003.^[1]