Meppel

Meppel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛpəl] ( listen)) is a municipality and a city in the northeast of the Netherlands, in the south-west of the province Drenthe.

It developed in the 16th century as a transport and distribution inland harbour for turf. There used to be a lot of waterways in the town, but now only one remains.

People born in Meppel are occasionally referred to as 'Meppeler Muggen'; this translates as mosquitos/gnats from Meppel. This is due to a traditional folk tale. The people of Meppel thought the church tower was on fire. After closer inspection it was only a swarm of mosquitos.