Car hire Emmen

Introduction

Emmen is a modern city in the province of Drenthe. It was only after the Second World War that the city really began to expand, incorporating villages in the surrounding area. There are few old buildings in Emmen. An exception is the Reformed Church, which has a Roman tower dating back to the 12th century. The city's main attraction is the Emmer Zoo, one of the most beautiful and biggest zoos in the Netherlands, which is visited by one and a half million people each year. The Zoo consists of two parts. The old part is located to the east of the centre, the new part ('locatie Es') to the west.

Population

The city has 50,000 inhabitants, but the musicality has a population that is more than twice as big.

Location

Emmen is located in the south-east of the province of Drenthe in the north-east of the -Netherlands. The municipality borders on Germany. Amsterdam is located at 192 km from Emmen, Groningen at 56 km, Enschede at 90 km and Osnabrück in Germany at120 km.

Economy

The city is the undistrial centre of Drenthe. There are large industrial areas and there is a lot of greenhouse cultivation around the city. In addition, AKZO-Nobel has its largest European branch office in Emmen. Government services also provide jobs, for instance the country's Topographical Service. In nearby Schoonebeek, oil was discovered in 1996. The Dutch Oil Company (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij/NAM) is considering a possible redevelopment of that oilfield. Using new techniques, it is estimated that some 100 million barrels may be extracted.
The Zoo is very important to the economy of Emmen.

Airports

The nearest airport is Groningen-Eelde Airport (50 km), with chartered flights to holiday destinations in Southern Europe and regular flights to Aberdeen in Scotland and Stavanger in Norway.
Small business aircraft can also land on the grass runway of Hoogeveen Airport at 20 car minutes from Emmen, and the city even has a heliport, at five minutes from the main business areas.

Public transport

Emmen is not a big city, and as such it has a limited city bus service with three lines. Except Emmen itself, the buses also service villages in the municipality's environment.
In addition, there are regular bus connections to Groningen, Hoogeveen and Assen. Some of these buses offer direct high-speed connections (Qliner).

The train station of Emmen is a so-called head station, meaning the beginning or end of a railway track. There are only trains to Zwolle, where people can board trains bound for other cities in the Netherlands.

Traffic and Parking

The city can be reached via the A37, which runs from Hoogeveen to Meppen in Germany. This road connects to the A28 (Zwolle-Groningen) and is currently expanded into a four lane motorway. The N34 connects Emmen to Haren, to the south of Groningen.
Due to the modern spacious design of the city, the centre of Emmen is easy to reach. Parking is not a problem. Around the city centre there are large parking areas (Noord, Zuid and Oost), especially intended for visitors to the Zoo. Closer to the (car free) shopping centre, there are also a few parking areas.

Hotels

Emmen and its surrounding area offer a wide range of accommodations. If you are looking for a special hotel for children, we recommend De Tovenaarsberg (Wizard's Mountain). It is located just outside Emmen and it has eight rooms with fairytale themes. In the surrounding areas there are also various holiday parks and campsites. South-east Drenthe is a popular destination for short holidays. Especially during the summer we strongly recommend booking in advance.

External Sources

For more information about Emmen, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Emmen
• VVV Emmen
• Municipality of Emmen (Dutch, German and English)