Deventer - Zutphen along the IJssel

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Two beautiful old Hanseatic cities in one route! Deventer and Zutphen are a picture. They are connected by the mighty IJssel. You will find plenty of peace and varied nature in the IJsselvallei. In the historic city centers of Deventer and Zutphen you can soak up a lot of cultural history.

The old Hanseatic city of Deventer is a beautiful gem on the IJssel with a historic center and one of the five oldest cities in the Netherlands. The center of the city is formed by the Brink, an elongated market with trees and terraces that invite you to linger. Here you can see De Waag , a beautiful museum from 1531. At the Grote Kerkhof you can see the old town hall and the Lebuïnuskerk. What a lovely atmosphere. At KP 24 you take the ferry across the IJssel in a beautiful area of the floodplains of the IJssel. You pass the Bolwerksmolen , a sawmill from 1863. The mill has an octagonal top porter with scaffolding and was registered in the register of national monuments in 1968. You cycle through the old farmland of the Wilpse  Clay, where old farms are located on mounds. Nijenbeek Castle, also known in the area as Het Hooge Huis, is a ruin on the banks of the Voorsterbeek, an old bed of the IJssel. The castle played a major role in the Duchy of Guelders, in the revolt against the Spaniards and the resistance against French troops. But outwardly it was the Second World War that definitively turned the castle into a ruin. The castle was probably built around 1230. You follow the IJssel all the way to Zutphen . Take a moment here to enjoy the historic atmosphere. You will find plenty of monuments and nice museums here. This Hanseatic town still has one of the best-preserved old town centers in the Netherlands. The Berkelpoort is a water gate and part of the Zutphen city wall and located on the eastern edge of the city center, across the small river Berkel. The gate was built in the 14th century to connect the two settlements on both sides of the Berkel. The picturesque town of Warnsveld has an intimate village center and is located on the edge of beautiful nature reserves. In the center of the village is the Martinuskerk with a tower from the 11th century.

Huis de Voorst is located at KP 43, a stately 17th-century house in a beautifully varied landscape. Behind the house is a special garden. Further on you will cycle past Sluis Eefde , a lock complex located in the Twente Canal and a national monument from 1933. The lock at Eefde is the connection for shipping between the IJssel and the Twente Canal and is also used for water management in the eastern Netherlands.