About the town » Usselo, Gemeente Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands

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Usselo ['ʏsəloː 'ʏsəloː] is a Dutch village in the municipality of Enschede in the eastern Netherlands in region of Twente. It is located just west of Enschede and east of Boekelo. It has existed for over 800 years. Archeology shows that the region was inhabited more or less continuously since the last ice-age. The region is very fertile and will support agriculture and cattle. The countryside is marked by artificial hills, called es or esch, which were formed by depositing dung mixed with dirt. A prime example is the Fleringer Esch, near Fleringen. The village was one of the earliest settlements in the area. This was confirmed by finds of the remains of a prehistoric village (on the Usseler Es). During World War II the village was bombed by Allied fighters strafing the retreating German forces. This unfortunately led to casualties in the village bakery. The village has a Dutch Reformed church, a Church of the Christelijke Gemeente Nederland, a primary school and some shops. Of interest are the windmill (of the rare Stenderkast model), called Wissinks Möl ("Wissink's Mill"), and the Usseler Es, the man-made elevation forming the heart of the village farmlands. The village has a primary school, dating back to 1766 but now housed in a new building behind the Church. The newly-built Grolsch Brewery is located on the road to Boekelo. Usselo's rural landscape, notably its Es, has been transformed by encroaching housing and industry. Usselo, together with neighbouring Boekelo and Enschede, hosts the annual Military Boekelo Enschede, an international equestrian event usually held in October. The village is also notable for being the location of the novel, The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss. She was a Jewish girl taken into a family in Usselo while hiding from the German occupation during World War II. Further literary links consist of the poets H.H. ter Balkt, who was born in Usselo, and Willem Wilmink, who spent part of his youth in Usselo. Usselo observes the tradition of Noaberschop, which is the social framework governing relations in Twenthe.