Roombeek is a working-class suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 city of Enschede

Enschede

Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...

. It made International headlines due to the horrific Enschede fireworks warehouse disaster

Enschede fireworks disaster

The Enschede fireworks disaster was a catastrophic fireworks explosion occurring at the SE Fireworks depot on 13 May 2000, in the eastern Dutch city of Enschede....

 (Dutch, "Vuurwerkramp") on May 13, 2000. The warehouse explosion in Roombeek caused 23 deaths, and wounded 947 people.
Around 400 homes were destroyed, and 1500 were seriously damaged by the fireworks explosion.

Prior, there were already plans for a major renovation of the district. Many old factory complexes are now renovated and suitable for living, work, and cultural activities. A location along the Roombeek waterway was dedicated as a memorial to the four firefighters who perished in the Enschede fireworks disaster

Enschede fireworks disaster

The Enschede fireworks disaster was a catastrophic fireworks explosion occurring at the SE Fireworks depot on 13 May 2000, in the eastern Dutch city of Enschede....

.

Reconstruction

After the fireworks disaster, confidence in the town needed to be restored. Thus, a supervised reconstruction of the area was carried out, called Project Reconstruction Roombeek. Urban supervisor Pi de Bruijn

Pi de Bruijn

Pi de Bruijn is a Dutch architect who won the second prize in February 1993 for the competition on the Reichstag the highest German government building. Office de Architecten Cie., Amsterdam...

 was chosen to lead the project - due to his background in Twente

Twente

Twente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...

, and extensive experience with other major urban projects. De Bruijn decided that the district largely be planned according to the ideas of Roombeeks' citizenry.

Participation

The project was started with the involvement of many inhabitants of Roombeek. Reconstruction project staff talked with area families (at times accompanied by an interpreter), so that residents could speak their demands, and their wishes could be put on paper.

This resulted in the following objectives:

• A district to return to
• A lively neighborhood
• A familiar area
• a safe neighborhood
• A district with history
• A district with a future value
• an area without borders
• the district into their own hands

The Three Axes of Roombeek

The new plan of Roombeek (after the 2000 disaster), is based on the original map (a familiar area). The emphasis is on three axes: the Roomweg from east to west, the Lonneker Spoorlaan from south to north, and the Museum Avenue. Along the Museum Avenue axis is a strict height restriction, which means that all new buildings must be reviewed by De Bruijn himself.

The three axial roads lead to the traditional town centre of Roombeek, where the Ekenhof and Prismare are located. The node is also the square to The Roozendaal and Twentse Welle.

Public space in Roombeek

The area is known for a lively public character. There are now large tracts of public space, including:

• The Lasonderbleek, with the theme "remember". That theme was chosen because of this area's proximity to the site where the fireworks disaster occurred.
• The Stroinksbleek, with the theme "culture". This area includes a lake, and a "culture cluster"- where concerts and other art performances can be performed.
• The Lonnekerbleek, with the theme of "relaxation". This park is still under construction.

Architecture in Roombeek

Roombeek had an area with innovative and unique architecture. Buildings and designs from the following architects can be found in Roobeek:

• Bjarne Mastenbroek of Search, Amsterdam
• Claus and Kaan, Amsterdam
• Peter Hubner, plus + bauplanung Gmbh, Neckartenzlingen Germany
• Molenaar & van Winden, Delft
• Jan Benthem, Amsterdam
• Peter Wilson
  Peter Wilson
  Peter Wilson may refer to: * Peter Wilson , Scottish-born American footballer in the 1890s and early 1900s* Pete Wilson , American baseball pitcher...
  
  , Muenster Germany
• Rein van Wylick, Eindhoven
• Cino Zucchi, Milan
• Harry Abels, Enschede
• Erick van Egeraat
  Erick van Egeraat
  Erick van Egeraat is a Dutch architect. He is based in Rotterdam but particularly active in Germany and Russia....
  
  
• Branimir Medić and Pero Puljiz, Architekten Cie, Amsterdam
• Michiel de Wit and Jan Hein Geerdink Project.DWG, Enschede

Transport

Roombeek is within walking distance of the Enschede Station. In addition, the district also accessible by bus from:

• Line 2 Deppenbroek
• Line 60 Oldenzaal The Thijen
• Line 61 Overdinkel
• Line 62 Denekamp

External links

• Dutch Wikipedia article "Roombeek"
• Roombeek Homepage (in Dutch)
• Roombeek fireworks explosion footage on YouTube