Walking Tour in Zwolle with Audio and GPS Guide

Zwolle Station, This station is an important transport hub and has a beautiful historic building that was originally opened in 1864. In the 20th century, the station underwent renovations to accommodate the growing number of passengers. The facade and roof are particularly impressive, and the statue of Thorbecke stands there. This statesman and founder of Dutch parliamentary democracy was born in Zwolle on 14 January 1798. I Thorbecke is very important to the Netherlands. He not only shaped the political structure of the state, he was also responsible for various infrastructure projects that helped the Netherlands move forward enormously.

Zwolse Balletjes have been the unique and authentic sweets of Zwolle since 1845! In that year, Mr. J. van der Kolk started producing them. He did this in the steek bakery that he installed in the basement of the monumental building of a former grocer. The steek is the name of a traditionally made sweet, cut out of sugar dough. The steek baker made the first black steeks from cane sugar, because at that time sugar beets were not yet grown in the Netherlands. The black cane sugar steek was mainly used to sweeten coffee and tea. After the arrival of sugar beets - and therefore granulated sugar - the steek was called the Zwolse Balletje. The original, secret recipe has not changed and the Zwolse Balletjes are still traditionally made by the steek bakers in the basement of the Zwolse Balletjeshuis.

The Grote Kerk, located on the Grote Markt. This 15th century Gothic church, also known as the Sint Michaëlskerk, has beautiful stained glass windows and an impressive Schnitger organ.

The Peperbus is a late Gothic tower that belongs to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption. Characteristic of Lower Rhine Gothic is the use of brick, beautiful niches and balustrades. At 75 metres, it towers above the centre of Zwolle, but it is certainly not one of the highest church towers in the Netherlands. On the first part of the tower is an octagonal lantern and on top of that a copper dome roof. The Netherlands has more towers with a lantern. Such as the Dom Tower in Utrecht. The Dom Tower even served as a model for the builders in the 16th century. The 51-bell Taylor carillon is located in the lantern. After the tower fire of 1815, in which the onion-shaped roof was destroyed, architect Herman Klinkert installed a copper dome roof in 1828. This earned the tower its nickname 'pepper pot'. After all, the shape of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren resembles a pepper pot.

This is a very special little museum: the Vrouwenhuis is a private museum in the heart of Zwolle, cozily situated under the Peperbus. Founder Aleida Greve, who lived from 1670 to 1742, stipulated in her will that her home on the Grote Aa (Melkmarkt) would be made suitable for housing single, elderly women who were members of the Protestant Church after her death. The ground floor of the Vrouwenhuis has been a museum since 1987 that is open to the public by appointment. You walk through special interiors from three centuries, from 1680 to 1980, from rich to simple.

The Hopmanshuis is located on the former trading quay of the city and was originally used as a warehouse for the transhipment of goods to and from Germany and Amsterdam. The Hopmanshuis was built around 1663 as a trading warehouse by the Zwolle merchant Claes de Cock. It consisted of half brick and half wood. The latter part was built above the city moat, so that the ships could be unloaded immediately. The stone half was located on the trading quay, the Rodetorenplein, named after the tower that gave access to the city. From 1843 the building was known as the Nieuwe Stadsherberg or the House with the 99 windows. The function as a warehouse is still clearly visible on the upper floors. The warehouse is furnished as an office downstairs and the cellars were given a catering purpose. Inside, the warehouse function can still be clearly experienced.

According to many, the most beautiful bookstore in the Netherlands: Van der Velde books in the Broeren church. The store has been located in the medieval Broeren church since 2013, a monumental church building with a rich history. The modern interior is interwoven with the traditional style elements of the old monastery church. This is not just a bookstore, this is an experience!

The Karel de Vijfde house owes its name to the bust of, yes, Karel de Vijfde. You can see this at the top of the impressive facade, placed within a richly decorated frame. The house is part of the medieval Hof Van Ittersum. This courtyard was one of the largest and most important late medieval city buildings in Zwolle and from the fourteenth century until 1736 the home of the noble family Van Ittersum. The oldest part of the house dates from around 1383 and was built by {Roelof van Ittersum}. In 1571 {Anna van Westerholt} ordered a house to be added to the courtyard. This house was provided with the impressive showpiece facade that is still so characteristic of the building. Anna's father was a devoted servant of the lord of the manor. This may have been the reason for her to add the crowned head of the emperor to the facade. The facade is truly a showpiece.

One of the oldest churches in Zwolle is the Bethlehemkerk. This church was once the chapel of the then and first Augustinian monastery. During the great city fire in 1324, the Bethlehemkerk and Het Refter were spared. This means that a number of parts of the choir are now among the oldest above-ground wall remains. On the side of the Bethlehemkerkplein, three relief stones were placed at the time. A stone with a cross surrounded by leaf and rose ornaments, a second stone is an image of Christ after the descent from the cross and the third stone, the gravestone of the brother of Thomas a Kempis, prior Johannes Kempen, is a crucified Christ in Baumberger stone.

The Sassenpoort probably dates from 1409 and is the most important remnant of the medieval city walls of Zwolle. The high gate with a wide passage was an inner gate and connected to a roundel and an outer gate on the land side. The city gate is a square brick building with corner towers. The two towers on the land side go from round to octagonal and are located next to an extension with throwing holes in the floor. From these throwing holes, boiling pitch could be poured over any invading enemies. The defining gate is the only remaining gate from the city walls. The large size of this city gate represented the wealth of Zwolle in that period. The gate also had to be wide enough so that carts could stand completely under the gate. Only after thorough inspection of the carts were the doors to the city opened.