Arnhem, capital of the province of Gelderland, lies for the most part on the right bank of the Lower Rhine, a few kilometers below the point where the IJssel branches off the Rhine. Part of the town is situated in the hills fringing the Veluwe, an extensive area of woodland and heath. Arnhem is of more than merely regional
importance, with law courts and the offices of several government agencies and the provincial government of Gelderland, as well as several higher educational establishments, including a school of drama, a college of music and a forestry school. Industry also plays a major part in the economy of the town. Of particular importance is a tin-smelting plant established in 1929 which processes ore from Surinam and produces approximately a fifth of the total world output of tin. Apart from this there are several chemical and metalworking plants and various other factories.
History
Arnhem first appears in the records in 893, but it is believed to occupy the site of the Roman settlement of Arenacum mentioned by Tacitus. It received its municipal charter, however, only in 1233, from Count Otto III of Gelderland. Thanks to its advantageous position on the Rhine its trade prospered in the Middle Ages, and from the 15th to the 17th century it was a member of the Hanseatic League. The Emperor Charles V made it the chief place in Gelderland. Arnhem twice fell into the hands of the French, in 1672-74 and again from 1795 to 1813, when it was taken by Prussian forces. During the Second World War Arnhem suffered heavy damage, particularly during the fighting between the German occupying forces and the British paratroops dropped in September 1944 and later when the town was taken by the Allies in April 1945, when only 150 houses were left in a habitable condition. After the war the town was quickly rebuilt.
Some of the places of interest in Arnhem include the National Heritage Museum, Burger's Zoo, and the Gelredome, a stadium with a retractable roof and slide-out grass pitch.
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