provincie Overijssel

Municipalities in Overijssel

There were still 44 municipalities in Overijssel in 2000. After the municipal boundaries were redrawn, amalgamation of the municipalities decreased that number to 26.

Almelo, Borne, Dalfsen, Deventer, Dinkelland, Enschede, Haaksbergen, Hardenberg, Hellendoorn, Hengelo, Hof van Twente, Kampen, Losser, Olst-Wijhe, Oldenzaal, Ommen, Raalte, Rijssen-Holten, Staphorst, Steenwijkerland, Tubbergen, Twenterand, Wierden, Zwartewaterland, Zwolle.

The amalgamation of Bathmen with the neighbouring municipality was the last of the major amalgation-projects in the province en has recently led in the year 2005 to the forming of the new and larger town of Deventer.

Total number of inhabitants of Overijssel on January 1, 2003: 1,100,677

Eighteen municipalities have got less than 40,000 inhabitants. Eight have got 70,000 to 150,000 inhabitants. The five large cities are: Zwolle, Deventer, Enschede, Hengelo and Almelo.

A brief history of Overijssel

The name Overijssel was used for the first time in 1528. Before that it was:

‘Oversticht’. The Oversticht consisted of Salland, Twente and the land of Vollenhove. In 1528 the bishop of Utrecht ceded the Sticht (Utrecht) and the Oversticht to Charles V (the Roman Emperor who was also King of the Netherlands, among other things), who became Lord of Overijssel by this act.

Deventer, Kampen and Zwolle were powerful Hanseatic towns that together with the knighthoods of Salland, Twente and Vollenhove formed the ‘parliament’ of Overijssel. The mayors of the large towns and the members of the knighthoods governed the province, which had been part of the DutchRepublic since the rebellion against Philips II (son of Charles V).

After a short occupation by the bishop of Munster (1672-1674) Overijssel got a different form of government, giving the stadtholders more power. The patriot resistance against this, led by Joan Derk van der Capellen tot de Pol, eventually resulted in the BatavianRepublic in 1795. A centralist government arose and the country was divided into departments. Overijssel and parts of Gelderland and Friesland became the ‘Department of the Old IJssel’.

In 1801 the old provincial boundaries were restored. After 1813 the Provincial Council consisted of representatives from the knighthoods, the three large towns and the rural regions. In 1848 minister Thorbecke (who was born in Zwolle) drew up a new constitution. This constitution determined that in future the members of the Provincial Council would be chosen directly by the rich male inhabitants of Overijssel. In 1919 women were entitled to vote as well. The Executive Council was chosen from and by the Provincial Council.

Flag & Coat of arms

The provincial flag consists of five horizontal bars in red, yellow and blue. The blue meandering bar symbolises the river IJssel.

The provincial coat of arms has a fess in azure (blue) in a golden field. In this field there is ‘a lion, in gules (red), tongued and ungled in azure’.

The shield is topped by a crown in or (gold) with five leaves and four pearls and is supported on both sides by lions in natural colours.

Useful information

The House of the Province of Overijssel

Visiting address:

Luttenbergstraat 2
8012 EE Zwolle
The Netherlands
telephone 038 499 88 99
fax 038 425 26 50
e-mail: postbus@overijssel.nl

Postal addres (P.O. Box)
Postbus 10078
8000 GB Zwolle

The Netherlands