Assen
—  Municipality / City  —
Assen railway station
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 53°0′N 6°33′E / 53°N 6.55°E / 53; 6.55Coordinates: 53°0′N 6°33′E / 53°N 6.55°E / 53; 6.55
Country	Netherlands
Province	Drenthe
Area(2006)
• Total	83.48 km2 (32.23 sq mi)
• Land	82.09 km2 (31.70 sq mi)
• Water	1.39 km2 (0.54 sq mi)
Population (1 January, 2007)
• Total	64,320
• Density	784/km2 (2,030/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Assen [ˈɑ.sə(n)] ( listen) is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run. Assen has a railway station: Assen railway station.

Population centres[link]

Anreep, Assen, De Haar, Graswijk, Loon, Rhee, Schieven, Ter Aard, Ubbena, Witten, Zeijen, Zeijerveen, Zeijerveld.

History[link]

The history of the capital of Drenthe can be traced back to at least 1258, when a new location had to be found for the Maria in Campis monastery, which was originally built near Coevorden as a penalty for the slaughter in 1227 of the army of the Bishop of Utrecht at the hands of Drenthe's peasants, in what has come to be known as the Battle of Ane. A battle, incidentally, in which the Bishop was killed. His successor ordered the monastery to be built as a penalty. As this monastery was located in a barren peat area, which also happened to flood from time to time, a better location had to be found. A better and especially dryer spot for the Cistercian monastery was found in an area known as Witten, where at the time only a few farms were located. Around it were village communities like Deurze, Witten en Peelo. The latter has a history which goes back to the times from when Dolmens were built, but is presently situated between two new districts of Assen. The "relocated" monastery probably was erected in the 1260s, and over the centuries Assen developed around it.

Monastery[link]

The monastery was built at what now is the Brink (i.e. the grassy area which serves as a symbolic municipal centre) of Assen. At the locations of the monastery now stands the Drents Museum, which was built in 1882 as provinciehuis (i.e. the residence of provincial government). Only the Abdijkerk (Abbey church), the monastery terrain, and bits and pieces of walls remind us of the religious beginnings of the city.

Coat of arms[link]

The Coat of Arms is directly borrowed from the seal of the monastery. Just like the coat of arms of the province of Drenthe - in both cases Mary with child - but Jesus switches knee. At the same time it tells you how the history of the city is connected with the provincial governing board. Which has to do with the fact that around 1600 the abbey property was secularised. Maria in Campis no longer existed, but the buildings did. Because of the central position of Assen and the fact that the government from what was then called de Landschap Drenthe (the Landscape Drenthe) was searching for a location for the government and civil servants, Assen became the seat for, and thus practically also the capital of Drenthe.

[edit] Drents Haagje

Assen really was not a municipality yet, not even ecclesiastical sense. Even though there was an abbey church, Assen fell ecclesiastically and administratively under Rolde. In 1615 Assen got its own preacher. In 1807 Assen administratively freed itself from the control of Rolde when the village got to establish its own municipal authorities. A municipal authority which moreover in most cases operated in the shadow of the provincial government, which always manifested itself prominent in the Drentse Haagje. The municipal authority mainly got there because of matter of provincial governors like governor Petrus Hofstede, to which the city also thanks its uniquely located park (in the center of the city). From that time Assen also obtained its nickname het Herenbolwerk.

City Rights[link]

Assen currently has about 65,000 inhabitants, but it only got a real city scope after World War II. But it has been an official city since 1809. After Coevorden, then a village of about sixteen hundred people, Assen became the second place in Drenthe with city rights, granted by King Lodewijk Napoleon, who had big plans with the village. A plan to make it a real city was set up at the time, but unfortunately for Assen, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was incorporated with France of Napoleon Bonaparte and the plans were abandoned.

As administrative centre, Assen attracted well-to-do inhabitants and with that also new enterprises and initiatives, these contributed to slow but steady increase of commerce, wealth and new establishments; such as a newspaper printing in 1823, a Latin school in 1825, a postal service on Groningen in 1830, a court in 1840, a first beginning for a garrison in 1852 and a railway station in 1870. Another major achievement was the Drentse Hoofdvaart (Canal)which was used for transporting peat and other goods. (On either side of the canal, stately homes were built by the initiators) and the opening of the Noord-Willemskanaal (North-Willems canal) in 1861. The most important monuments of the city are from the nineteenth century.

Industry[link]

Around the 1900 Assen began to play a more prominent industrial role. It was originally a centre of civil servants, but the establishment of a slaughterhouse, dairy factory and iron foundry created more diverse expansion opportunities and encouraged growth. Around 1930 Assen became a central point for health care in the province, by establishing various psychiatric hospitals and healthcare centres.

Growth[link]

After the Second World War, Assen did not have more than 20,000 inhabitants. The Assen TT made the city more widely known, but it was not until the 1950s with the development of an industrial core did Assen begin to grow much more quickly. The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (Dutch Oil Company) established itself in the city and with that, a trend was set. Now, Assen is not only known because of its TT, Bartje and the Drentse Rijwielvierdaagse. It also is the fastest-growing city in the northern part of the Netherlands, has ample employment opportunities, particularly in the service industry. An unprecedented growth of the city in terms of houses & inhabitants is taking place with environmental issues becoming more urgent.

The city has progressively become more cycle friendly since the 1960s. Assen has an extensive network of off-road cycle paths, the city centre is closed to motor vehicles, and 41% of all journeys in Assen are by bicycle.

Notable people born in Assen[link]

• Klenie Bimolt (born 1945), breaststroke swimmer
• John-Paul Langbroek (born 1961), politician
• Wim Franken (1922–2012), composer and pianist
• Peter Hoekstra (born 1973), association football player
• Inge Dekker (born 1985), butterfly and freestyle swimmer
• Bas Roorda, Dutch football player
• Sergio van Dijk, Dutch-Indonesian football player
• Marc de Maar, Professionel cyclist, Quick-Step.

Tourism and attractions[link]

The TT Circuit Assen is one of the most famous motorcycle racing circuits in the world and is the only circuit that has been in the MotoGP calendar since its beginnings in 1949. It is also regarded as the "Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing."

In November of each year Assen becomes the centre of international attention for the world of Ballroom and Latin American dancers when the city hosts the Assen Dance Festival which includes the "Dutch Open Championships." This is an open event for dancers from all countries and all dance bodies and a magnet for those who are or aspire to be "the best."

Assen is also the capital of the "cycling province" of the Netherlands, Drenthe. There are many high quality cycle paths in the city and surroundings and it is host to regular cycling events such as the Drentse fietsvierdaagse and the Jeugdtour. In 2009 the prologue and opening stage of the Vuelta a España took place in Assen.

See also[link]

• Jewish cemetery

External links[link]

• (Dutch) Official website, assen.nl
• Map of Assen, kaartassen.nl
• TT Circuit Assen, tt-assen.com
• NAM Dutch Oil Company, nam.nl

v t e    Municipalities of Drenthe Aa en Hunze Assen Borger-Odoorn Coevorden De Wolden Emmen Hoogeveen Meppel Midden-Drenthe Noordenveld Tynaarlo Westerveld See also Netherlands Provinces Municipalities

Carl Fogarty
Fogarty on top of his motorhome at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia
Nationality	English
Born	(1965-07-01) 1 July 1965 (age 46) Blackburn, Lancashire
Website	www.carlfogarty.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 1990 - 1993 Manufacturers Cagiva, Honda Championships 0 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 6 0 0 0 0 37 Superbike World Championship Active years 1990 - 2000 Manufacturers Ducati, Honda Championships 4. 1994,1995,1998,1999 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 219 59 109 21 48

Carl George Fogarty (born 1 July 1965 in Blackburn, Lancashire), sometimes known as Foggy, is the most successful World Superbike racer of all time in terms of the number of championships and number of race wins. Now retired, he is renowned for his high corner speed riding style, combined with an aggressive competitiveness, which netted him 59 victories and four World Superbike Championships (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999). His greatest success came with the factory Ducati team. He was awarded an MBE in 1998's New Year's Honours List.

World Superbikes[link]

In 1991 he raced for Neil Tuxworth's Honda UK team in World Superbikes, finishing 7th overall. The team pulled out in 1992, and Carl nearly found himself without a ride after a promised deal failed to materialise. He did ultimately take his first WSBK win at Donington Park, and finished the championship 9th overall despite only completing a partial season.

1993 was the beginning of his era as a factory Ducati rider. He battled with Scott Russell for the title, winning 11 races to the American's five, but losing out on consistency (Russell came 2nd twelve times compared to Fogarty's two) to finish behind him.

In 1994 two factors came together to build on the successes of the previous season. Foggy was fit and hungry for the title, having been so close the previous season; but he would also be using the new Ducati 916.

He missed the Hockenheim races with a broken wrist, but fought back to pip Russell and Aaron Slight to the crown.

Winning 6 of the first 8 races in 1995 helped him seal that title with 5 of the 24 races to spare, and he clinched it with 3 races to spare in 1999.

In 1996 he raced for Tuxworth again, now with Honda factory support. Despite winning four races that season on the RC45, three more than team-mate Aaron Slight, and one more than Slight had managed over three seasons on the bike, Fogarty again struggled with consistency and finished 4th overall, 16 points behind 2nd placed Slight and 38 points behind champion Troy Corser.

In 1997 he returned to Ducati, finishing second overall to the Honda of John Kocinski.

1998 was his closest title - after a disastrous weekend at the Nürburgring he lay just 6th in the standings, but fought back to overhaul Troy Corser and Aaron Slight in the final round. This was especially notable as his team (Ducati Performance), managed by Davide Tardozzi, was in its first year of WSBK competition.

Surprisingly, his first victory in any form of racing at Brands Hatch did not come until 1995. He had much greater success at Assen, winning all but 1 race there between 1995 and 1999. Large numbers of British fans would travel to the race on the ferries at this time.

Superbike World Championship results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)