Groenmarkt — The Heart of the Tower City

Zutphen has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,700 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. As a Hanseatic city, Zutphen was part…

Berkelpoort — Water, Stone and Seven Centuries

The Berkel flows from Germany into the IJssel, meeting it here right at the Berkelpoort. The gate acted as a gatekeeper: river trade and city defence at the sa…

IJsselkade — The Poet Who Gave Away His Water

Philip Sidney died at 31 years old — after 26 days of suffering from his wounds. Sidney was not only a knight but one of the most important English poets of hi…

Walburgiskerk — The Church That Surpassed the Dom

The tower was 107.5 metres tall — and partially collapsed after a lightning strike in 1600. The Jerusalem chandelier inside is one of only six in all of Europe…

De Librije — Books on Chains

The other original chained library is in Cesena, Italy — Zutphen and Cesena are the only two in the world. The collection includes 87 incunabula — books printe…

's-Gravenhof — Where Counts Decided

The County of Zutphen remained a separate entity within the Duchy of Gelderland for centuries, with its own privileges and governance. During the Eighty Years'…