Nine days of partying in the center of Assen, including the infamous “Night of Assen. Over 200,000 motorcycle enthusiasts and other revelers from all over the world knew how to find the Drenthe capital. But where to put all these people?
The TT Circuit Assen, also known as “The Cathedral of Speed,” has a rich history dating back to 1925. It all started with a street circuit around the city of Assen. Only in 1955 was a permanent circuit built in the form it still has today: an asphalt track with a length of 4.5 kilometers and a width ranging from 10 to 14 meters. The name “Dutch TT” was officially established in 1936. From then on, outside Britain, only Assen was allowed to use the name TT, the abbreviation for Tourist Trophy. For the British a sacred name, first used for the races on The Isle of Man. By the way, the first race around Assen was not on asphalt, but on cobblestone and dirt roads, a course between the Rolde-Borger-Schoonloo triangle.
During the TT festivities, the center of Assen functioned as an event site, where various activities took place, culminating in a concert in honor of the 50th anniversary of the TT festival. To provide a place for all the revelers, Van Schie was commissioned by the municipality of Assen to put together a huge floating platform, consisting of 238 linkable VSP770 pontoons, which connected perfectly with the quays around the Kop van de Vaart. A ‘floating square’ as an extension of the Market Square. On this the concert stage could be built and the thousands of revelers went wild during the performances of Marco Schuitmaker, Hendrik Jan Bökkers, Emma Heesters and the Royal Military Band, among others.
