Tour of Zwolle

Zwolle was situated between the rivers IJssel and Vecht, but could not use these waterways. After the inhabitants of the Zwolle marke were given permission in 1230 to fortify their place of residence with walls, planks and moats, direct waterway connections with the Vecht and the IJssel and bridges over the rivers were the most important wish for centuries. With the construction of the Willemsvaart in 1819, Zwolle was finally directly connected to the IJssel. This task has now been taken over by the Zwolle-IJsselkanaal.

1. Schellerberg Estate
On a river dune along the IJssel lies the Schellerberg estate, the country residence of the Grevers family since 1350. For hundreds of years, this regent family provided mayors for the city of Zwolle. The estate is now managed by their descendants. The straight lanes of the former star forest and some winding paths and ponds from the 19th century are still present in the current garden design. At sunset, hordes of rooks and jackdaws gather on the grasslands around the estate. Together they then move to the park Het Engelse Werk to spend the night there.

2. Agnietenberg
In the Bergklooster in the area of the Agnietenberg the mystic Thomas à Kempis wrote the book In navolging van Christus, a much read book in the Middle Ages. Nothing remains of the monastery. The Agnietenberg and the elevations near Berkum are river dunes of the Vecht.

3. Westerveldse Forest
The Westerveldse Bos is a young forest with only native tree and shrub species. The 'berg' is a former landfill that was given a recreational destination.

4. IJssel bridge
A ferry service across the IJssel was for a long time the only link in the road from the west to the east of the Netherlands. This was because Zwolle refused to cooperate in the construction of a combined rail and road bridge across the IJssel in 1862. The city had to wait until 1930 before the ferry could be replaced by the IJssel bridge.

5. Park The English Work
In 1826, Park Het Engelse Werk (then called Het Nieuwe Werk) was designed according to the English landscape style. The shapes of the original fortifications of the'Zwolse Liniën\\\' can still be recognized in the walking park. A nature development project between the IJssel and Het Engelse Werk should give Zwolle an ecological connection with the river.

Route offered by: ANWB