DRACHTEN

chief town of Smallingerland gemeente (commune), Friesland provincie, northwestern Netherlands. It lies along the Wijde Ee waterway, which is part of the canal system that flows into the larger Prinses Margriet Canal to the northwest. The surrounding area consists of lowlands; there are forests at nearby Beetsterwaag, and peat moors are found southwest of Drachten. Formerly a village specializing in peat digging and dairy farming, Drachten has become an industrial centre producing electrical goods, transport equipment, machinery, chemicals, and furniture. Natural-gas reserves are found to the northeast. Historical features of the town include an 18th-century church and the Bleekershs Museum, which contains sculptures and the first film projector used in The Netherlands. The Eenei (or Zuartendijitster) is a defense works located near Drachten that Peter Stuyvesant (161072) supposedly used as a model for a fort that he built at New Amsterdam (New York). Drachten lies at the junction of highways extending between Groningen and Sneek. An airport is located near the town. Pop. (1992 est.) mun., 50,289.