Ermelo

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Ermelo

Flag

Country

Netherlands

Province

Gelderland

Area (2006)

- Municipality

87.38 km² (33.7 sq mi)

- Land

85.67 km² (33.1 sq mi)

- Water

1.72 km² (0.7 sq mi)

Population (1 January 2007)

- Municipality

26,297

- Density

307/km² (795.1/sq mi)

Source: CBS, Statline.

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

For the South African town with the same name, see Ermelo

Ermelo is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland in the Veluwe area with a population of over 26.000.

1 History
2 Recreation
3 Population centres
4 External links

[edit] History

The town has been known to exist since at least 855. For a long time it consisted of little more than a few farms and some other buildings like a windmill and a church and it didn't really grow much until the 19th century; in the year 1830 a road was made to make this part of the Veluwe more accessible and at the end of the 19th century the town got a train station. Because the trainstation was some distance away from the town centre a road was constructed, the Stationsstraat, which is now considered to be the centre of the town. After the second world war a shortage of houses resulted in a rapid growth of Ermelo and in 1973 Ermelo became its own separate municipality after having been part of Nunspeet before.

In 2005 it celebrated its 1150th birthday. There were many national and local artists performing in Ermelo and Horst.

[edit] Recreation

There are many campsites in the forests surrounding Ermelo which are popular place to stay for mainly Dutch tourists. Cycling through the forests and heaths is a popular activity especially during the summer. The nearby Veluwemeer allows recreation on the water or beach.