Beautiful Zwolle: Strolling through green Zwolle-South

Starting point

The walk starts at Het Engelse Werk, the former fortifications of Zwolle. A park was laid out here around 1828 in a romantic English landscape style. The national monument has a large pond and various footpaths. The kingfisher is one of the permanent residents of the park.

In 1908, a piece of marshland was added to the park. The area, called the Kieftegat, has a permanently high groundwater level. When the IJssel is high, this entire area is flooded by the seepage water. The Kieftegat, with a large variety of flora, is connected to the rest of the park by a small bridge and footpath.

Spoolderbos

From the Engelse Werk you end up in the Spoolderbos. Much of Zwolle's drinking water comes from this area. The twenty-hectare forest was planted in 1980 on the occasion of the celebration of 750 years of Zwolle's city rights. Thousands of Zwolle residents bought a tree or shrub to plant in the water extraction area.

The wide footpath that runs from the IJsseldijk through the Engelse Werk and the Spoolderbos is called the Horreüs de Haaspad. The path connects the water intakes and owes its name to the Zwolle preacher Horreüs de Haas. De Haas was a great nature lover.

Hanseatic country

The route then takes you through Hanzeland. This district has many high-rise buildings and little greenery. Some people also call Hanzeland the 'Manhattan of Zwolle'. Hanzeland is home to Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, among other things. Despite the abundance of asphalt and concrete, you can still enjoy beautiful water features with surrounding greenery.

Schellerberg Estate

Once you have left the residential areas of Zwolle-Zuid, you will be back in the green. On your right, the Schellerberg estate is hidden between the trees and bushes. A building from the Middle Ages that was easy to defend at the time. In the past, it was mostly inhabited by the noble families of the Netherlands.

Neighborhood IJsselzone

The walk continues through the hamlet of IJsselzone. The unspoilt river landscape is an oasis of peace, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Many special plants and animals benefit from the regular flooding here.

The IJssel

The dike along the river takes you back to the starting point of the route. From the dike you have a beautiful view of the river IJssel. In addition to the city front of the Hanseatic town of Hattem you can also see the contours of the Veluwe. On the other side of the dike lies the Schellerwade. With a bit of luck you can see a black tern landing here.

As you walk further down the dike, the beautiful lines of the Hanzeboog appear. The railway bridge over the IJssel is part of the railway connection from Zwolle to Utrecht and Lelystad. The bridge was opened in 2011.