Holten

Holten (Dutch Low Saxon: Hooltn) is a small village in the municipality of Rijssen-Holten in the Dutch province of Overijssel, with approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Holten is located in an ample-forested area, just south of the Holterberg. This hill, which is about 65m high, is part of the "Sallandse Heuvelrug" National Park. The National Park is the only area in the Netherlands in which the black grouse (in Dutch: korhoen) can be found. This grouse population is on the brink of extinction. Therefore, parts of the National Park are closed to the public during breeding season, as a protective measure.

Holten hosts the Netherlands' second-largest World War II cemetery, where the remains of mostly Canadian casualties of war lie buried. This cemetery is located about 3 km north-east of the Holten railroad station, in the woods. The cemetery is accessible by car through a number of sand roads.

The scenic location of Holten has stimulated considerable tourism in the village, which is accommodated by a number of commendable hotels and camp sites. During the summer, the number of tourists exceeds the number of locals.

Holten has a railway station on the Deventer-Almelo railway line (Holten railway station), which is served twice per hour.

Holten is the home village of Olympic 1500m speed skating gold medalist Mark Tuitert, jazz trombonist Wolter Wierbos, and film and documentary director and Academy Award winner Bert Haanstra.

Dialect
Next to Standard Dutch, the local inhabitants speak a variety of Dutch Low Saxon. The local variety is considered a member of the Sallaands sub-dialect, with a few Tweants traits that are a natural result of the village's proximity to Tweante. While in surrounding communities dialect use is relatively widespread, Holten has seen a decline over the past few decades.