Study abroad in the Netherlands

Official name: Kingdom of the Netherlands 
Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague (administrative) 
Population: 16,788,600 (January 2013) 
Currency: Euro
Official language: Dutch 

The name ‘Enschede’ comes from ‘Am Esche’, historical Dutch for ‘on the border’. Enschede is a medium-sized town near the German border and situated in the east of the Netherlands. The province in which Enschede lies is Overijssel. Though there is little left of the textile industry now, some of the factories and the houses of the wealthy textile barons can still be found throughout the city as monuments.

Enschede has approximately 160,000 inhabitants. Enschede is the principal city in a region called Twente. Originally, this region was very much linked to the region of Münster in Germany, with which it shared the principal religion: Roman Catholicism. The language spoken in Twente is not quite the official Dutch of the Netherlands but a rather specific accent.

Enschede is situated about 60 kms from Munster in Germany, 150 kms from Amsterdam and 195 kms from Rotterdam. Every half hour a train leaves for Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Enschede has a relatively large student population: many of the 10,000 University students and the 4,000 University of Twente and ITC students live in this city and meet each other in the bars, discos, etc. in the centre (especially on Thursday and Saturday evenings). Enschede has been nominated many times as the city with the best student facilities (housing, entertainment, sports, etc.).