IJssel Hanseatic Towns

Hanseatic towns on the IJssel, where brick lanes and squares link Deventer with sister towns Zutphen, Kampen and Zwolle, famed for a book market and a Dickens festival.

The Deventer Hanseatic towns lie in the IJssel valley in the eastern Netherlands, on the border between the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland. In the Middle Ages, the river was a trade route from the Rhine to the Zuiderzee, and towns such as Deventer, Zutphen, Kampen, Zwolle, Hattem, Doesburg and Elburg prospered as members of the Hanseatic League. They left behind a wealth of red-brick churches, town gates, weigh houses and step-gabled merchants' houses, and today they are jointly promoted as the 'Hanseatic Cities of the IJssel'. Deventer makes the best base: the Brink square, the Weigh House, St Lebuinus Church and the Bergkwartier are all walkable, and the year's highlights are Europe's largest outdoor book market in August and the Dickens Festival in December. About 15 km south, Zutphen is the 'City of Towers', home to a unique chained library; further south you can cycle to Bronkhorst, the smallest city in the Netherlands, and the mustard town of Doesburg. To the north, Zwolle has the Peperbus tower and the Museum de Fundatie, while Kampen at the river mouth is known for its riverside skyline and three town gates. The best time to visit is Apr–Oct, ideal for cycling along the IJssel dykes (a Dutch LF long-distance cycle route runs the whole length); winter is cold, but December brings the Dickens Festival and Christmas markets. Getting there: Deventer is about 1 hr 20 min by train from Amsterdam, trains between the towns take 15–30 minutes, and OV-fiets bikes can be rented at the stations. Plan to stay 2–3 days.

Top sights

• Brink & De Waag – The central market square of Deventer's old town. The late-Gothic Weighhouse of 1528 now houses the city history museum.
• Bergkwartier – One of the best-preserved medieval neighbourhoods in the Netherlands, with cobbled lanes, bell-shaped gables and the twin-towered Bergkerk…
• Zutphen Old Town – 'Tower City' Zutphen preserves numerous medieval city walls, towers and merchant houses. It is one of the most complete Hanseatic old towns…
• Kampen Old Town – A wealthy Hanseatic city at the mouth of the IJssel, with its riverside skyline, three city gates and old town hall well preserved.
• Lebuïnuskerk – The Gothic cathedral of Deventer, where you can climb the roughly 60-metre tower for views over the IJssel River and the red-tiled roofs of…
• Deventer Toy Museum – Housed in an old building beside the Brink, this museum displays centuries of European toys, including vintage tin toys, dollhouses and mec…
• Librije Zutphen – A church library completed in 1564, whose books are still chained to the reading desks. It is one of only a few such libraries left in Euro…
• Kampen City Gates – Kampen has three surviving medieval city gates: the riverside Koornmarkt Gate is the oldest, and Cellebroederspoort is the most ornate.
• Bovenkerk Kampen – A 14th-century Gothic cathedral and one of the most important medieval churches in eastern Netherlands, housing a famous Schnitger organ.
• Peperbus Zwolle – Zwolle's landmark tower, named the 'Pepper Pot' for its onion-shaped dome. Climb to a viewpoint about 50 metres up to overlook the Hanseati…
• Sassenpoort – A gate in Zwolle built in 1409, with octagonal corner towers and a pointed roof intact. It is the only surviving city gate of Zwolle.
• Museum de Fundatie – A museum in Zwolle's former 19th-century courthouse, with an oval 'cloud' gallery added to the roof, housing works by Mondrian and other ar…
• Bronkhorst – Said to be the smallest town in the Netherlands, with only about 150 residents. Its cobbled streets are lined with farmhouses, a small chur…
• Doesburg – A small Hanseatic town at the southern end of the IJssel, with a Gothic town hall, St. Martin's Church and a traditional mustard workshop.
• Hattem – A small Hanseatic town near Zwolle, where a dike gate, windmills and a bakery museum make up a quiet old town.
• Elburg – A fortified town laid out on a grid, with intact walls, a moat and the Fish Gate. It was a Hanseatic harbour on the shore of the Veluwemeer.
• Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park – One of the largest connected wet heathlands in eastern Netherlands. In August the hills are covered in purple heather, and the area is home…

Where to eat

• Deventer Koekwinkel – A shop in a historic building on the Brink selling Deventer koek, with a café and tearoom attached, a signature souveni…
• T-Arsenaal – A historic building beside St. Lebuinus Church, converted into a restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide, with a courty…
• IJssel Restobar – A Michelin Guide-listed restaurant in a hotel on the far bank of the IJssel, with a glass conservatory and terrace faci…
• Broederenklooster Zutphen – A restaurant in the 1293 monastery of Zutphen, a Hanseatic town, with an open kitchen serving modern French cuisine.

Itineraries

• Hoge Veluwe, Hanseatic Towns & Giethoorn Tour – Head north from Arnhem through the national park and Hanseatic towns along the IJssel River to the water village of Gie…
• Grand Netherlands Loop Self-Drive Tour – A comprehensive loop around the Netherlands, from canal cities to islands, northern water towns, the Hoge Veluwe, and h…