In what is known as the historical centre of Hengelo, archaeologists have found a camp site for hunters and gatherers, indicating that the location was inhabited during the
Mesolithic, between 12,000 and 5,000 years
BP. The area has most likely been continuously inhabited ever since. On the same site, finds from the
Iron Age and
Roman times have been excavated too. Different settlements, moreover, existed within the current municipality. Recent archaeological research in the north of Hengelo has led to the discovery of a prehistoric
grave field, as well as another settlement from Roman times, with pottery and other artefacts corresponding to the
Weser–Rhine Germanic tradition. In the mid 13th century, an estate was built, called Huys Hengelo, which existed till 1826, when it was demolished. A village grew around the estate, including a church and a cemetery. During the
Spanish occupation of the Netherlands, Huys Hengelo was the centre of several fights and revolts. The municipality of Hengelo was founded in 1802, which by then consisted of a few hundred farms and agricultural workers' houses. Hengelo was never granted
city rights, as it was a village until its expansion in the 19th century during the industrial revolution. In that period, however, various landmark buildings were erected, especially the Waterstaatskerk (1839), and the
Lambertusbasiliek (1890), a Roman Catholic
basilica built in 1890 devoted to
Saint Lambert. After the construction of its railway station, in 1866, industrial development accelerated, with a focus on technology:
Stork B.V., Hazemeyer,
N.V. Heemaf (now part of France's
Alstom,
Brush HMA, Brush-Barclay,
Eaton Corporation,
Essent, Heemaf BV,
Vattenfall, and
Wabtec), KHZ (now
AkzoNobel), and
Hollandse Signaal Apparaten (now part of the
Thales Group). Especially Stork played an important role in the development of Hengelo, building garden village
Tuindorp 't Lansink (1910s), with housing for its personnel, while also contributing to building public facilities in the city centre, such as a library. Hengelo was also the home town of
Hengelo Bier, a local brewery. Nowadays, the beer brand
Twents is produced in Hengelo, brewed by De
Twentse Bierbrouwerij. This brewery was founded in 2007 and was, until 2019, located in the monumental factory complex Hazemeijer. During
World War II, the city was bombed by the Allies because of the presence of the railways and the war industry activities of local factories that served the occupier. The heart of the town was accidentally destroyed during the bombing of Hengelo on 6 and 7 October 1944, killing several hundreds of people. In addition, after World War II, the synagogue that had survived the war, an entire block called De Telgen, a monastery at the Thiemsbrug, the farm dating from the 17th century where
Wolter ten Cate was born, and the 19th-century town hall, were all demolished. This has also left the city without much of an historical centre. However, the reconstruction plan of Hengelo, including its
town hall (1958-1963, J. F. Berghoef), received critical acclaim and is nowadays considered as an important example of post-war city planning in the Netherlands. By extension, Hengelo also became a reference for modern architecture, with innovative housing designs, such as Klein Driene I & II (1945-1965, C. Pouderoyen & W.R. van Couwelaar), Housing Hengelose Es (1962-1968,
Van den Broek &
Bakema), and De Kasbah (1969-1973,
Piet Blom). ==Transport==