Hengelo

Hengelo is a city in the Eastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It's not on the usual tourist map, but is easy to reach and if you do find yourself here, it has some interesting museums and serves as a regional centre for shopping.

Understand
Hengelo started out as just another hamlet, and only gained growth during the Industrial Revolution, which made the town a city by bringing textile industries to the region. Over time, this industry moved to nearby Enschede, which made space for more heavy industry, starting with C.T. Stork opening a heavy machinery part factory into the city in 1868. Stork was soon followed by Hazemeyer, Heemaf, the Royal Dutch Saltindustry and Hollandse Signaalapparaten. The growth in industry brought a boom to the city's inhabitants. On the other hand, the heavy industry made Hengelo a strategic target during the Second World War. The historic centre of the city was destroyed nearly entirely in October of 1944. Post-war, Hengelo became a wederopbouwgemeente, meaning that all that remained amongst the ruins, stood a high likelihood of not surviving the years following the war, as the city and municipality now focused on rebuilding and rehousing instead of restoring what once was. The buildings that were lucky enough to stand the test of time such as the 1890 Roman-Catholic Saint Lambertusbasilica do bring some history to a city that had the rest of its history wiped away.

From Amsterdam
Getting from Amsterdam to Hengelo could not be any more straightforward. To do so, simply head for the A1, which you use to drive towards Amersfoort. Simply follow the A1 past Barneveld, Apeldoorn and Deventer until the A1 merges with the A35 near Borne, and then separates ways again shortly after. At this point, use the A1's exits 30 and 31 to get to northern Hengelo and the A35's exits 27 and 28 to get to west Hengelo.

From Arnhem
Getting to Hengelo from Arnhem and the Southern Netherlands is less straightforward. Arnhem will be the city that you come by either way, whether that be using the A12, A15, A50 or any other route. There are two main ways for getting to Hengelo, namely the A50, which connects to the A1 near Apeldoorn, where you should follow directions to Deventer. As soon as you join the A1, you follow the same directions you would when coming from Amsterdam: Stick to the A1, and use the A1 or A35 to get to north or west Hengelo after passing Borne.

Alternatively, the A12, followed by A18 and N18, dubbed the Twenteroute is another option. The route takes you through the Liemers, by Doetinchem and through the Achterhoek. The route is more direct, though it doesn't have to be quicker. The N18 up to Groenlo is hated for having only a single lane in either direction, shared by lorries and cars. The Twenteroute is a lorry-heavy route, so traffic will not be moving as fast as on a highway. After the N18 terminates at Enschede, turn left onto the Usselerrondweg, turn left after passing under the Westerval, a small branch of the A35 heading into the city, after which you turn right onto the A35, heading for Hengelo. Again, exits 27 and 28 service the city. Once 2018 rolls around, the new northern half of the N18 (everything past Groenlo), will have been completed. At this point the N18 connects directly onto the A35, and will only require a turn left onto the highway heading for Hengelo.

By train
The is the main hub for trains in Twente. The large train station services international; intercity trains from Amsterdam Centraal via Amersfoort and Deventer to Berlin Ostbahnhof via Osnabrück and Hannover. Two intercity trains are limited to the Netherlands, namely one connecting from Schiphol Airport to Enschede, again, via Amersfoort and Deventer, and an intercity train from Enschede to Den Haag Centraal via Utrecht, also stopping at Amersfoort and Deventer. Regular trains are the NS Sprinter to Apeldoorn via Deventer and Almelo and the NS Sprinter to Zwolle via Almelo, both going to Enschede at the other end, as well as a local Syntus trainlink between Zutphen and Oldenzaal. The train station is the main bus hub for Hengelo, so switching onto a bus here should not be a problem.