Travel Guide to Enschede, Netherlands

The fate of this city is quite tragic. Because of this, the residents of Enschede have even received a sarcastic nickname “fire-raiser” (Brandstichters) from their countrymen. Indeed, three global fires destroyed this city in 1517, 1750 and 1862. This fact explains why there are just a few medieval buildings with stone and wooden architecture here.

For a long time Enschede has been one of the largest centers of the textile industry, but starting from the 70's the production has steadily come to recession. Cheap goods from Asia have made an evil joke with the local industry. It seemed that the city had faced the inevitable decline.

This fact has forced the city’s authorities to look for ways of saving Enschede. The development of shopping tourism has become a life-saving decision. Quite quickly numerous modern shopping centers, markets and boutiques have appeared in the city. Convenient location of the city, excellent transportation infrastructure, and proximity to the border have allowed organizing trading really quickly. Nowadays Enschede is literally reborn. It welcomes guests with its modern museums, cinemas, shopping malls and fine art galleries, steadily turning into the center of not only commercial but also cultural tourism.