An important industrial centre specialising in textiles, this town with a modern feel, was burnt down in 1862 and bombed in 1944. Sadly, it suffered a further catastrophe in May 2000, when an explosion in a fireworks factory left more than 20 people dead and destroyed almost 400 homes. Refusing to dwell on its ill fortunes, today Enschede is focused on its student life, with a huge campus in the northwest of the town.
