Raalte
Raalte () is a municipality and a town in the heart of the region of Salland in the Dutch province of Overijssel. Population centres The municipality consists of the following towns and villages. Raalte is the main place of the municipality, with over 20,000 mostly Roman Catholic inhabitants. It is a regional market, education and shopping centre. Transport Raalte railway station and Heino railway stations are located along the minor railroad Zwolle – Enschede. Frequency: mostly twice per hour. An important road for motorists is the N348 Deventer – Wesepe (mun. Olst-Wijhe – Raalte – Lemelerveld – Ommen ( in northeasterly direction from Deventer). In Raalte it crosses a road (N35) from Zwolle going south-east over Heino, Raalte, Mariënheem and Nijverdal to Wierden, where it continues as a highway (A35) to Almelo and Enschede. Economy Raalte has a lot of small industrial enterprises, many of them processing agricultural products. For the local economy, trade, agriculture (especially breeding cattle) and tourism are more important. Sights and events Once a year there is a harvest festival called Stöppelhaene. Its name in regional dialect means: a rooster made out of straw. It is held in Raalte in the last week of August. The