stablishments; such as a newspaper printing in 1823, a Latin school in 1825, a postal service on Groningen in 1830, a court in 1840, a first beginning for a garrisonin 1852 and a railway station in 1870. Another major achievement was the Drentse Hoofdvaart (Canal) which was used for transporting peat and other goods. (On either side of the canal, stately homes were built by the initiators) and the opening of the Noord-Willemskanaal (North-Willems canal) in 1861. The most important monuments of the city are from the nineteenth century.
Industry
Around the 1900 Assen began to play a more prominent industrial role. It was originally a centre of civil servants, but the establishment of a slaughterhouse, dairy factory and iron foundry created more diverse expansion opportunities and encouraged growth. Around 1930 Assen became a central point for health care in the province, by establishing various psychiatric hospitals and healthcare centers.
Growth
After the Second World War, Assen did not have more than 20,000 inhabitants. The Assen TT made the city more widely known, but it was not until the 1950s with the development of an industrial core did Assen begin to grow much more quickly. The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (Dutch Oil Company) established itself in the city and with that, a trend was set. Now, Assen is not only known because of its TT, Bartje and the Drentse Rijwielvierdaagse. It also is the fastest-growing city in the northern part of the Netherlands, has ample employment opportunities, particularly in the service industry. An unprecedented growth of the city in terms of houses & inhabitants is taking place with environmental issues becoming more urgent.
The city has progressively become more cycle friendly since the 1960s. Assen has an extensive network of off-road cycle paths, the city centre is closed to motor vehicles, and 41% of all
