Groenlo originates from the beginning of the 7th century. The name Groenlo refers to a green wood that lay in the neighbourhood (
groen means "
green",
lo means "
forest"), hence the old shield of Groenlo, a green tree. Groenlo became a
Guelders enclave of
Borculo. On 2 December 1277, it received
city rights from
landgrave Reinoud I of
Zutphen. There were six councilors, four of which were
aldermen and two
mayors. The judicial archive of Groenlo is very incomplete. Since 1406, Groenlo has been part of the
bishopric of Münster. The city was an important trade center along the
German–
Dutch trade route, which resulted in a rich variety of
guilds. It became a strong
stronghold during the 16th and 17th century. The stronghold was repeatedly
besieged during the
Eighty Years' War. The city still has a
defensively shaped
Gracht (canal) and (the remains of)
bulwarks stemming from this era. In 1597 the city was
conquered by
Maurice of Nassau. In 1606 it was
reconquered by
Spanish troops led by
Spinola. In 1627 Groenlo was
besieged and conquered by
Frederik Hendrik, one of Groenlo's most important historical events. This happening still has its effects in present-day in the form of street names and the names of establishments in the city. Two restaurants in its historical center are appropriately named
Frederik Hendrik and "Het Belegh van Grol" (The Siege of Grol). The
battles of the Eighty Years' War are
re-enacted regularly, drawing sizable crowds. As part of wider
tourist attraction plan, some of Groenlo's old
bulwarks have been under restoration in 2007, causing some controversy making local and even national television, the reason being a large number of large trees that had to be cut down for the plan. Tourism is of major importance to Groenlo, with over 3500 tourists spending the night locally at given times. Groenlo has been under
Spanish control for a considerable time during its violent history, which has left its marks. The majority of the local population is of
Catholic persuasion, an exception (together with Lichtenvoorde) in the mainly
Protestant region. This has resulted in several Catholic traditions being celebrated locally, such as
Carnaval and
"Kermis", as well as a relatively large number of
licensed establishment and
festivities. == Gallery ==