Twente, Historical region in eastern Overijssel, Netherlands
Twente is a region in the east of Overijssel province that runs along the German border and includes fourteen municipalities, among them the cities of Enschede, Almelo, and Hengelo. The landscape alternates between open fields, small forests, and scattered farms, all linked by a network of country roads and cycle paths.
Roman historians mentioned in their records a Germanic tribe that lived in this area and later gave the land its name. Over centuries the area remained mostly rural, until the textile industry in the 19th century made the towns grow rapidly.
The name comes from the Germanic tribe Tuihanti, already mentioned in Roman sources. The region is shaped by a tradition of neighborhood help that still appears in many communities today and defines how people live together day by day.
Motorways A1 and A35 cross the area and connect the towns to each other as well as to German border cities. Cycling is widespread, and many routes run over flat paths that work well for day trips too.
In the winter weeks you can hear the blowing of the midwinter horn, a custom performed for centuries before the new year. At Easter large fires are lit in many villages, neighbors gather, and they mark the end of the cold months.
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