government subsidy of 850 guilders to the local Israelite Congregation for its construction. The synagogue was completed in 1879. The community then numbered 27 people. In 1906, the Jewish community became part of Almelo, and in 1923, the building was sold. The building is still intact and has been listed as a municipal monument since 1996. The former synagogue has been a warehouse of a private company since 1973, but the building is scheduled to be demolished. Trade The inhabitants of Vriezenveen (Rusluie) had a lively trade with the Russian city of Saint Petersburg in the period from 1720 to 1917. Over the course of time, various companies from Vriezenveen founded trading houses and shops on notable streets and in notable buildings, such as on the Nevsky Prospekt and in the adjacent "Gostiny Dvor". Although they managed to acquire a permanent place in the grand city at the mouth of the Neva, many Vriezenveners eventually returned to their hometown. On May 16, 1905, there was a great fire in Vriezenveen that almost destroyed the entire town. After the fire, Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry – her prince-consort – formally known as Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, personally came to support the residents of Vriezenveen. They made a personal donation of no less than a thousand guilders, intended for the reconstruction of Vriezenveen. The fire was commemorated in 2005, with a parade of historic fire-fighting vehicles. The Jansen & Tilanus company was spared during the great fire. The textile factory was the largest employer in the town at the time and the fire ended just before the factory on the Westeinde street. Due to the dryness of the commonly used thatched roofs and the strong winds from the east, there was no stopping the fire. 228 houses, mostly built in the aforementioned style, went up in flames. The richer farms and Rusluie houses made of brick and with greater garden distance from other houses, turned out to be more resistant to the fire and still stand to this day. The most famous of these still-standing farms, is the Peddemors farm. The Historical Museum deals with the history of the municipality of Vriezenveen, and of the town itself. There is, among other things, a historical department about the textile history of Vriezenveen and extensive documentation about the great fire of 1905. In addition, an old living room, a farmhouse kitchen and a school