Cycling route Black Water and Overijsselse Vecht 52 km

Zwolle, Hasselt, Zwartsluis

Zwolle, the city on the IJsseldelta, was founded around the Middle Ages and quickly grew into an important Hanseatic city. Traces of this can be found in abundance in the city centre. Book lovers should not miss'Waanders in de Broeren\\\'. In the beautiful church from 1466 you will find one of the Netherlands' most beautiful bookshops with culture, art and books.

But Zwolle has more culture to offer, for example in the De Fundatie museum, a beautiful old palace on which a 'bird's egg' has been built with a great view over the city. The Stedelijk Museum, focused on the cultural history of the city, is well worth a visit. If only for the contrast between the old and new part of the museum!

Other forms of culture can be found in the Zwolle theatres, pop venue Hedon or the Fraterhuis cinema. Hasselt, situated on the Zwarte Water, used to have an open connection with the Zuiderzee, which allowed the city to develop into an important trading centre. That is why you will find more than seventy monuments in the centre of Hasselt, which has been declared a protected cityscape. Anyone visiting Hasselt in April and May should definitely book a boat trip with Staatsbosbeheer. You will sail past the most beautiful spots in the area, but you will also see the rare lapwing flowers, which still bloom abundantly in the wild here. A visit to the lime kilns, just outside Hasselt, is also recommended.