Coevorden (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkuvɔrdə(n)] ; Dutch Low Saxon: Koevern; German: Kuhfurt) is a city and municipality in the province of Drenthe, in the east of the Netherlands. During the 1998 municipal reorganisation in the province, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo, retaining its name. In August 2017, it had a population of 35,267.

Coevorden
Koevern (Dutch Low Saxon)
Castle and city hall of Coevorden in 2007
Castle and city hall of Coevorden in 2007
Flag of Coevorden
Coat of arms of Coevorden
Highlighted position of Coevorden in a municipal map of Drenthe
Location in Drenthe
Coordinates: 52°40′N 6°45′E / 52.667°N 6.750°E / 52.667; 6.750
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceDrenthe
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorRenze Bergsma (CDA)
Area
 • Total
299.69 km2 (115.71 sq mi)
 • Land296.07 km2 (114.31 sq mi)
 • Water3.62 km2 (1.40 sq mi)
Elevation12 m (39 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)[4]
 • Total
35,317
 • Density119/km2 (310/sq mi)
DemonymCoevordenaar
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
7740–7759, 7840–7869
Area code0524, 0528, 0591
Websitewww.coevorden.nl

Etymology

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The name Coevorden means "cow ford(s)" or "cow crossing", similar to Bosporus or Oxford.[5]

 
Painting of the (re)capture of Coevorden by Dutch troops commanded by Carl von Rabenhaupt in December 1672, as part of the Franco-Dutch War.

History

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Fortification plan of Coevorden, in Star fort style.

Coevorden received city rights in 1408. It is the oldest city in the province of Drenthe.

The city was captured from the Spanish in 1592 by a Dutch and English force under the command of Maurice, Prince of Orange. The following year it was besieged by a Spanish force but the city held out until its relief in May 1594. Coevorden was then rebuilt in the early seventeenth century to an ideal city design, similar to Palmanova. The streets were laid out in a radial pattern within polygonal fortifications and extensive outer earthworks.

The city of Coevorden indirectly gave its name to both Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Vancouver, Washington, named after the 18th-century British explorer George Vancouver. The explorer's ancestors (and family name) originally came to England "from Coevorden" (van Coevern in Dutch Low Saxon).[5] There is also a family of nobility with the surname van Coeverden, sometimes spelled with a K (as with Canadian kayaker Adam van Koeverden).

Geography

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2014 map of the city of Coevorden

Coervorden is located at 52°40′N 6°45′E / 52.667°N 6.750°E / 52.667; 6.750 in the south of the province of Drenthe in the east of the Netherlands.

The population centres in the municipality are:

International relations

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Coevorden is twinned with:

 
Coevorden Station

Transportation

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There are two railway stations in the municipality:

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Burgemeester en wethouders" [Mayor and aldermen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Coevorden. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Postcodetool for 7741GC". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Coevorden". The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  6. ^ "Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Kingdom of the Netherlands - News of the Embassy". Netherlands.mfa.gov.by. 2011-05-16. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
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