Assen Attractions
Assen, capital of the province of Drenthe, lies in beautiful wooded country at the junction of two inland waterways, the Drenthse Hoofdvaart and the Noord-Willemskanaal. It became an independent commune only in 1807 and received its municipal charter from King Louis Bonaparte in 1809. Thereafter it rapidly developed into the principal town in Drenthe and an important junction for inland shipping. The population rose from only 600 in 1809 to over 13,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, and since then has more than tripled. The Netherlands Prize for motorcycle racing is competed for annually on the racetrack near Assen during the Dutch TT. Assen is also the host for the Dutch Open Dance Championships each November. Unlike other provincial capitals in the Netherlands, Assen has no historic buildings, having been an insignificant village until the 19th century, with no great past to look back on.
Drenthse Aa
To the north of Assen flows the Drenthse Aa, a system of several small streams which meander over a wide area.
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Gouvernement
Adjoining the Assen Provincial Museum is the neo-Gothic Gouvernement, on the site of a convent of Cistercian nuns dissolved at the Reformation, of which there remain only the church (now part of the Town Hall) and part of the 13th century cloister.
Tax-Collector's House
The superb rooms of the Ontvangershuis (Tax-Collector's House), which have been preserved in their original style, give a good impression of the way of life of a provincial official in the 17th and 18th centuries.
