Ommen

Ommen is a city in the Vechtdal region in Overijssel, the Netherlands.

Understand
Ommen grew on a river dune on the river Vecht. The town is first mentioned in 1133, gaining its city rights 115 year later in 1248. Ommen, being situated not far from the river IJssel, along which most Hanseatic cities of the Netherlands are located, was connected to nearby Deventer, Kampen and Zwolle. This connection however, was proven useless not long after. Not because of the connection, but because of Ommen, which produced mostly agrarian goods. These goods, such as grain, were cheaper elsewhere, which made Ommen's connection to the Hanseatic cities of the Netherlands unnecessary. The connection was only kept in place as Ommen was located directly on the connection, namely the river Vecht.

Ommen had a central function until the early 19th century, housing several government offices as well as a tax office and court hall. The latter was deemed unnecessary after a merge of court instances in 1933. During the 1920s and 1930s Ommen was the mondial centre of Theosophy, housing the Order of the Star in the East at the Eerde Estate. The order was disbanded in 1929. The camps held annually on the estate continued until 1939.

By car
Ommen is located where the N348 from Zutphen and Deventer meets the N48 to Hoogeveen and the N340 from Zwolle meet.

When travelling from Groningen, use the A28 heading for Hoogeveen. Once you have Hoogeveen on the left side of the highway, continue on straight on the upcoming Hoogeveen Interchange (Knooppunt Hoogeveen). After the interchange you will find yourself on the N48. Follow this road until an exit sign reading r 101 - Ommen appears. Use this exit to leave the N48 and turn left onto the Balkerweg once you can. The Balkerweg will guide you into Ommen, but to get to the city centre, you will have to turn right on the second roundabout you encounter, following the Schurinkstraat, succeeded by the Prinses Julianastraat. The city centre will appear on your right.

When travelling from anywhere but Groningen and Drenthe, first head for Zwolle (using the A28 from Utrecht and the A50 from Arnhem). Assuming you're on the A28 in Zwolle, use exit 21 (Ommen) to turn onto the N340, which will guide you directly to Ommen.

By public transit
Ommen is on the Zwolle - Stadskanaal railway, which in modern times connects from Zwolle to Emmen. The is located about a kilometer from the city centre. A sneltrein leaves every hour (:38 to Emmen, :53 to Zwolle), and much like an Intercity train doesn't connect to every stop on the line. Instead the stoptrein connects to every stop on the line, leaving half an hour after the sneltrein (:08 and :23 to Emmen and Zwolle respectively). From the station, busses leave for the main city (line 568), Zwolle (267), Hoogeveen (31) and Westerhaar (81).

Get around
Ommen's city centre can easily be travelled by foot, even if you're not staying in the city itself. In that case taking a train and a bus for several stops will get you directly into the city centre, though the bus may be replaced by just plain walking, should you want to do so for roughly a kilometer.

If you're staying in Ommen, then you will most likely want to see more of the Vechtdal. The best way to do so by far is by renting a bike. These can be rented at several companies in Ommen: