There was already an Ens on the former island of Schokland. In the 'new' Ens, built from 1946 onwards, the street names refer to, among others, a minister, mayor, parish priest and lighthouse keeper on the formerly inhabited Schokland. Not names that many people will recognise. That will be the case with the name of another former resident of Ens: 11-city tour winner Evert van Benthem grew up here.
Like Bant, Ens has its own coat of arms and even its own flag. Both show three ducks. This is because the word 'ens' is a derivative of 'enedseae', based on the Old Germanic word for duck.
Just outside Ens, on the edge of the Noordoostpolder, stands the Ramspol tower. This is set up as a viewpoint over both the old land (including Kampereiland in Overijssel) and the new land of the Noordoostpolder. The tower is accessible every day free of charge and offers a beautiful view over the polder landscape.
Do you like cycling? Ens is the perfect starting location for the 'Rondje Zwarte Meer' route. This route combines old and new land via several ferries and passes, among other things, a fruit farm with picking garden. After cycling 50 kilometres, you can recover in Ens with a snack and drink.
At B&B De Pipowagen in Ens, you can spend the night in, what else, a gypsy caravan. Guests here experience a lot of pricacy and also the luxury of using a wood-fired hot tub and a Finnish sauna.
