Salland

The location of Salland (red) within Overijssel (dark grey) and the Netherlands (light grey), showing the area now generally considered to be part of Twente.

Salland Hillridge National Park

Salland is a historical region in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel.

History

The history of Salland goes back to the early Middle Ages, when the four quarters of Oversticht (Salland, Twente, Land van Vollenhove and Drenthe) came together. Salland (and nearby areas) may have been the early seat of the Salian Franks, the founders of the modern Dutch and French nations.

Geography

Salland is bound to the west by the provincial border with Gelderland, which is partly formed by river IJssel; to the north by the Meppelerdiep stream and the provincial border with Drenthe, which partly consists of the Reest stream; to the east by the borders with the German state of Lower Saxony and the eastern Overijssel region of Twente; and to the south by the border with the Gelderland region of Achterhoek, part of which is formed by the Schipbeek stream.

Geologically, most of Salland's landscape consists of a lowland covered with river sediment.