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'Venlo' () is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands. It is situated in the province of Limburg.
On January 1, 2003, the municipalities of Tegelen and Belfeld were added to that of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago, whereas Venlo has a past in the Duchy of Guelders.

Contents

Population centres

The city of Venlo

History of the city

Venlo in the 2nd World War

Culture

Drugs

External links

Population centres

★ Belfeld

★ Blerick

★ Boekend

★ Hout-Blerick

★ Steyl

★ Tegelen

★ 't Ven

★ Venlo

The city of Venlo

History of the city

Its history goes back to Roman times. Venlo developed into an important trade post on the river Meuse and was a member of the Hanseatic League. It received city rights in 1343. Also Blerick was founded in Roman times on the other side of the river and was known as Blariacum.
Because of the strategic importance the city of Venlo was besieged several times. The most significant siege was that of 1702 executed by Menno van Coehoorn. As a consequence Venlo was incorporated into the Generaliteitslanden of the United Provinces and later became part of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Venlo in the 2nd World War

Due to the fact that Venlo had both a road and a rail bridge over the River Meuse (Maas) the city was severely damaged during several bomb raids on those bridges at the end of the war.
The allied forces needed 13 attempts to destroy the bridges. About 300 people were killed due to those raids.
The raids also cost Venlo a major part of its Historical buildings. However, some medieval buildings, such as the city hall (the 'Stadhuis') and the 'Römer' house, survived the war.
On November 9, 1939, two British Intelligence Service agents were kidnapped by the S.D. in what became known as the Venlo Incident. The Incident was used by the Nazis to link Great Britain to Georg Elser's failed assassination of Hitler at the Burgerbraukeller two days before and to justify their later invasion of the Netherlands.

Culture

★ Theatre "De Maaspoort"

★ Museum "Limburgs Museum" and "Museum Van Bommel - Van Dam"

★ Popvenue Perron55

★ Major annual cultural events

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★ Carnaval called "Vastelaovend" in February/March (6 weeks before Easter).

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★ Summer park festivities called "Zomerparkfeest" in August held in and around the main park of Venlo, a 4 days podium for a broad audience, including live music, film, dance, art etc.
In 2003 Venlo was awarded the title "Greenest city of Europe". In 2012 it will host the Floriade.

Drugs

Over the last two decades Venlo has become a major hub for narcotics-trafficking. Since Germany prohibits the sale and ownership of most drugs, her citizens cross the nearby border in order to legally acquire substances unavailable in their own country. Venlo's being connected to Germany by two expressways (Bundesautobahn 40 and Bundesautobahn 61) allows for citizens of Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr Area - Germany's largest metropolitan area - to travel there in about 30 minutes. This convenient traffic situation unintendedly encourages thousands of Germans to smuggle drugs back across the border each year, despite the risk of being busted by customs officers while en route.
As residents in the vicinity of Venlo had realized how profitable especially the sale of cannabis products had become, some constructed marihuana plantations on their property, which however is illegal even by Dutch law.
Currently Dutch law-enforcement is increasingly moving in on such private plantations. In return, the growers are shifting their activities aross the border to Germany, taking advantage of still rather unobserving local police there.
By the late nineties drug criminality and drug-related nuisance had become a problem in the center of Venlo. City officials thus launched an initiative that amongst other measures, included moving the towns largest coffeehouses to the outskirts, where they continue business in a former rest stop. This was a win-win solution, as the town was freed from disturbances and the coffehouses are now even closer to the expressways.

External links

★ Official Website

★ Website of Popvenue Perron55

★ Website of Theatre De Maaspoort

★ Website carnaval organisation Venlo

★ Website carnaval organisation Blerick

★ Website carnaval organisation Tegelen

★ Website carnaval organisation Belfeld

★ Website carnaval organisation Steyl

★ Website zomerparkfeest

★ Tegelen in some pictures

★ Koekoek Q4

★ [1]

★ [2].

★ http://www.intraval.nl/en/b/b23_sum.html