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Zwolle Tourist Information

Zwolle is the Capital Town of the Province Overijssel in the east of Netherlands. In 1230 the city became city rights. In the Province are five basilicas. In the whole of the Netherlands twenty.

The city count more than a 100.000 citizens A fine city wall is left from the Middelages and a gate called ‘Sassenpoort’.

Zwolle, the capital of the province of Overijssel, was established in the 9th century. In 1230 Zwolle was granted a charter. However, this city’s hey-day, both in an ecclesiastical and a cultural sense, was at the beginning of the 15th century. A large number of monumental buildings date from this ‘golden age’ in Zwolle’s history.

In these long-gone days Zwolle was a busy port of transship for sandstone, grain and fish from the Baltic Sea and the former Zuiderzee (now IJsselmeer). As a result, the city expanded substantially and became one of the main free imperial Hanseatic towns.

The remains of the wall

All around the center of town you still find the remains of the old wall. The walls were built between 1465 and 1490, when the town got more and more rich. And so an adequate protection against robbers and enemies was necessary. Zwolle was in that period one of the so called Hanze-towns.

De Sassenpoort

You find this gate south from the centre at the end of the Sassenstraat. The Sassen gate was built between 1406-1407. This gate is only the inside gate. In 1839 the outside gate was demolished. At present the gate is Zwolle's visitors centre. The gun at the other side is from 1580.

The market in the church

This is the big or st.Michaels church standing on the Grote Kerkplein. While there is the Saturday's market in front of the church, there is also a market in the church. In the church it is about aid to the third world and about Amnesty International.

The schnitger organ in the big church

You find this organ in the big or st.Michaels church. The big baroque organ was made by Johan George and Frans Caspar Schnitger in the years 1719-1722.

De Peperbus

You find this tower on the Ossenmarkt at the Church of Our Dear Lady. The church is from 1463 and the tower is from 1487, except the lantern, that is made in the 17th century. The tower may be climbed on openings hours. Because of its form the tower got the name pepper box.

De IJsselhallen

You find the block buildings at Rietweg 4. The block of buildings are in use for all kind of activities, like cattle-market, exhibitions and selling exchanges. In front of the main gate there is this great red walking chair. It's made by Bas Maters from Arnhem and in his design is it the open box where al the activities are coming out of. It is a nice identification object that fits good with the buildings.

Market on Saturday

Every Saturday there is a broad market right in the center of Zwolle. Zwolle is the shoppingcentre for the neighbourhood. And good visible on Saturday's market. You can buy all kind of things.