The history of the capital of Drenthe can be traced back to at least 1258, when a new location had to be found for the Maria in Campis convent, which had originally been built near Coevorden as a penalty for the slaughter in 1227 of the army of the Bishop of Utrecht at the hands of Drenthe's peasants, in what has come to be known as the Battle of Ane – a battle, incidentally, in which the bishop was killed. His successor ordered the convent to be built as a penalty. As this convent was located in a barren peatarea, which also happened to flood from time to time, a better location had to be found. A better and especially dryer spot for the Cistercian convent was found in an area known as Witten, where at the time only a few farms were located. Around it were village communities like Deurze, Witten en Peelo. The latter has a history which goes back to the times from when Dolmens were built, but is presently situated between two new districts of Assen. The "relocated" convent probably was erected in the 1260s, and over the centuries Assen developed around it.
Convent
The convent was built at what now is the Brink (i.e. the grassy area which serves as a symbolic municipal centre) of Assen. At the location of the convent now stands the Drents Museum, which was built in 1882 as provinciehuis (i.e. the residence of provincial government). Only the Abdijkerk (Abbey Church), the convent grounds, and bits and pieces of walls remind us of the religious beginnings of the city.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms is directly borrowed from the seal of the convent. It is just like the coat of arms of the province of Drenthe - in both cases Mary with child - but Jesus switches to the other knee. At the same time it tells you how the history of the city is connected with the provincial governing board, which has to do with the fact that around 1600 the abbey property was
