Venlo

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Venlo
Location of Venlo
Country Netherlands
Province Limburg
Area (2006)
 - Total 86.41 km² (33.4 sq mi)
 - Land 84.66 km² (32.7 sq mi)
 - Water 1.74 km² (0.7 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
 - Total 92,080
 - Density 1,088/km² (2,817.9/sq mi)
  Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Venlo (pronunciation (help·info)) is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands. It is situated in the province of Limburg.

On January 1, 2003, the municipalities of Tegelen and Belfeld were added to that of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago, whereas Venlo has a past in the Duchy of Guelders.

Contents

[edit] Population centres

[edit] The city of Venlo

[edit] History of the city

Map circa 1850
Map circa 1850

Its history goes back to Roman times. Venlo developed into an important trade post on the river Meuse and was a member of the Hanseatic League. It received city rights in 1343. Blerick, also founded in Roman times, on the other side of the river, was known as Blariacum.

Because of its strategic importance, the city of Venlo was besieged several times. The most significant siege was that of 1702, carried on by Menno van Coehoorn. Consequently, Venlo was incorporated into the Generaliteitslanden of the United Provinces and later became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

[edit] Venlo in the 2nd World War

On November 9, 1939, two British Intelligence Service agents were kidnapped by the Sicherheitsdienst in what became known as the Venlo Incident. The Incident was used by the Nazis to link Great Britain to Georg Elser's failed assassination of Hitler at the Burgerbraukeller two days before and to justify their later invasion of the Netherlands, a neutral country, on 10 May 1940.

Because Venlo had both a road and a rail bridge over the River Meuse (Maas) the city was severely damaged during several bomb raids on those bridges at the end of the war. The allied forces needed 13 attempts to destroy the bridges. About 300 people were killed due to those raids. The raids also cost Venlo a major part of its historical buildings. However, some medieval buildings, such as the city hall (the 'Stadhuis') and the 'Römer' house, survived the war.

[edit] Culture

  • Theatre "De Maaspoort"
  • Museum "Limburgs Museum" and "Museum Van Bommel - Van Dam"
  • Popvenue Perron55
  • Major annual cultural events
    • Carnaval called "Vastelaovend" in February/March (6 weeks before Easter).
    • Summer park festivities called "Zomerparkfeest" in August held in and around the main park of Venlo, a 4 days podium for a broad audience, including live music, film, dance, art etc.

In 2003 Venlo was awarded the title "Greenest city of Europe". In 2012 it will host the Floriade.

[edit] Drugs

Over the last two decades Venlo has become a major hub for narcotics-trafficking. Since Germany prohibits the sale and ownership of most drugs, her citizens cross the nearby border in order to legally acquire substances unavailable in their own country. Venlo is connected to Germany by two motorways (Bundesautobahn 40 and Bundesautobahn 61). This allows for citizens of Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr Area - Germany's largest metropolitan area - to travel there in about 30 minutes. This convenient traffic situation unintendedly encourages thousands of Germans to smuggle drugs back across the border each year, despite the risk of being caught by customs officers while en route. A train service runs between Hamm and Venlo, and on the way back from Holland this train is often full of police, often not wearing uniform. As residents in the vicinity of Venlo had realized how profitable especially the sale of cannabis products had become, some constructed marijuana plantations on their property, which however is illegal even by Dutch law. Currently Dutch law-enforcement is increasingly moving in on such private plantations. In return, the growers are shifting their activities aross the border to Germany, taking advantage of a rather still unobserving local police there. By the late nineties drug criminality and drug-related nuisance had become a problem in the center of Venlo. City officials thus launched an initiative that, amongst other measures, included moving the town's largest coffee shops to the outskirts, where they continue to do business in a former rest stop. This was a win-win solution, as the town was freed from disturbances and the coffee shops are now even closer to the expressways.

[edit] Sports

VVV-Venlo is century-old football club that plays in De Koel stadium. VVV-Venlo are currently playing in the Eredivisie.

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 51°22′N, 6°10′E