Kampen () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. A member of the former

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

, it is located at the lower reaches of the river

IJssel The IJssel (; ) is a Dutch distributary of the river Rhine that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the IJsselmeer (before the 1932 completion of the Afsluitdijk known as the Zuiderzee), a North Sea natural harbour. It more immediatel ...

. The municipality of Kampen had a population of in and covers an area of . Kampen is located in the North West of

and is the largest city in this region. The city of Kampen itself has around 37,000 inhabitants. Kampen has one of the best preserved old town centres of the

, including remains of the ancient city wall (of which three

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

s are still standing) and numerous churches. Also notable are the three

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

s over the IJssel which connect Kampen with IJsselmuiden and Kampereiland, the agricultural area between the branches which form the IJssel delta, and a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

(''d' Olde Zwarver – ''the Old Vagabond). Since November 2018, the town and some communes are on a river island. Between the 14th and 16th century it was one of the biggest towns in the Northern Netherlands (modern day European Netherlands). The town is about 90 kilometer northeast of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. Traditionally people in Kampen speak a variation of the Sallands dialect, known as Kampers.

History

Middle Ages

By 1150, there were already wooden buildings on the site where Kampen is currently located. The name Kampen, however, is not mentioned until 1277. The city has had city rights since 1236. As a result of its convenient location on the busy trade route between the

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee''), historically called Lake Almere and Lake Flevo, was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands. It extended about 100 km (60 miles) inla ...

and the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, Kampen quickly developed from simple settlements into a prosperous trading town, to become one of the most powerful and leading cities of northwestern Europe. In the 14th century, Kampen exchanged with the

bishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

, Jan van Arkel, the Mastenbroek polder against the right to increase the IJsseldelta. The silting up of the

brought a gradual end to the prosperity of Kampen from 1430 on. For a long time Kampen did not want to sign a union and make economic and political concessions to other cities, as was usual in the

. When the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...

went to war with the Hanseatic League this situation came to an end: the city was forced to choose a side in the war. Kampen was originally more oriented toward the Baltic trade and commerce with the hinterland of the Rhine, and therefore in 1441 formally joined the Hanseatic League. The city had much influence in the League; despite loud protests from the other towns in lower reaches of the IJssel and from other Hanseatic cities, the League agreed in 1448 to build a bridge over the river.''Kampen in fragmenten'', drs. René van Mierlo, 1990, Kok. This project was accomplished in just five months. With this bridge Kampen hoped to be able to develop closer relationships with the hinterland.

Post-Medieval

On 11 August 1572 Kampen was conquered from the Spaniards by Willem van den Bergh, a brother of William of Orange. After the massacre of Zutphen on 15 November, the city voluntarily surrendered to the Spanish. In 1578, the city changed ownership again after the

Siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

of Kampen, led by George van Lalaing. Due to its right to increase the IJsseldelta, Kampen was owner of the growing Kampereiland. From 1500 the islands were leased. The rents were so large that the city did not need to raise taxes. In October 1670, Kampen was the first of four Dutch cities to raise capital by issuing a

Tontine A tontine () is an investment linked to a living person which provides an income for as long as that person is alive. Such schemes originated as plans for governments to raise capital in the 17th century and became relatively widespread in the 18 ...

. The

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

, fought by the Republic of the United Netherlands against the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...

, marked a definitive end to the enormous power of the city. Kampen only became well known again in the 19th century. The city was difficult to reach from the sea, because the surrounding wetlands became silted up and shallow. During the preceding centuries, the watercourse of the river IJssel was dredged several times, but the costs were relatively high and within a few years, the river silted up again. As the IJssel had several delta-like mouths here, the main route of the river shifted several times. In the 19th century, a new strategy was put in place to counter this problem: some watercourses were dammed to allow for more water at a higher speed through one or two main routes. This had the advantage that less sand and silt were deposited and resulted in a river course that "swept itself clean". A key figure in this story is city architect , who, besides his work for the current IJssel front of the city of Kampen, was also involved in hydraulic engineering. Due to the emerging industry in the 19th century and the importance of roads and railways for the economy, highways and paved roads were constructed to replace transportation over sand and mud roads.

Geography

Kampen is part of the province of

('Over-IJssel' i.e. (mostly) trans-/across the river IJssel, as seen from the perspective of the bishopric of Utrecht by which it was held until 1528) in the Eastern part of The

, situated between the provinces of

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and newest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...

and

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

. The city of Kampen is situated at the mouth of the river

. Opposite Kampen, along the IJssel, lies IJsselmuiden, which is the second largest residential nucleus of the municipality Kampen. The municipality of Kampen has five other population centers:

Grafhorst Grafhorst is a small city about 3 km north of Kampen (Overijssel), Kampen, in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Overijssel. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1333 from , the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Prince-Bishop ...

, 's-Heerenbroek, Kamperveen, Wilsum and Zalk.

Culture

Historical buildings and other landmarks

Kampen has a large number of old to very old buildings, including remains of the ancient city wall (whose city gates are still standing) and the Church of St Nicholas ( Bovenkerk). The structure of the walled fortress city is still visible in the streets. Significant structures include: * The '' Koornmarktpoort'': a city gate located near the river IJssel which probably dates from the 14th century. In the 15th century two squat towers were added at the outer corners. * The ''Broederpoort'': a rectangular city gate with four slender towers, originally from 1465, rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1615 * The ''Cellebroederspoort'': a rectangular city gate, flanked by two heavy round towers, originally from 1465, rebuilt in 1617 in Renaissance style * The Stedelijk Museum Kampen: located in the former town hall of Kampen, which dates from the late 14th century * The ''Gotisch huis'': built around 1500. This was the location of the Stedelijk Museum Kampen before it moved to its current location in the old town hall. * The '' Nieuwe Toren'': a tower with a carillon designed by Philips Vingboons and dating from 1648 to 1664 * The Church of St. Nicholas ('' Bovenkerk''): a great Gothic basilica dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The interior of the church houses an early-Renaissance choir screen (1552), a stone pulpit (circa 1500) and a monumental organ from 1670 to 1676. * The ''Broederkerk'': a 14th-century church which originally belonged to a Franciscan monastery * The ''Buitenkerk'': a 14th-century church * The ''Burgwalkerk'': a neoclassical 19th-century church * A windmill called ''d'Olde Zwarver'', built in 1842 * A monastery gate dating from 1665 called ''Linnenweverspoortje'' * The city auditorium (''Stadsgehoorzaal''), dating from 1891 * An old tobacco factory, ''De Olifant'', where cigars are still made with 19th-century equipment. ''De Olifant'' cigars are sold in the shop and guided tours are available. Throughout the town of Kampen, there are colorful murals which are in fact old commercials for now-defunct business in Kampen. These murals, which include Art Nouveau influences, were made by local artists and are now referred to as "frescoes of the middle class". As a result of current municipal policy, wherever these murals are discovered under old plaster, they are restored to their former glory. A number of better or lesser known people with a certain connection with Kampen is honoured with a commemorative stone bearing their name and a single-sentence characterization of their personality or achievements, incorporated into the pavement of the ''Oude Raadhuisplein'' (formerly ''Koeplein''), the square in between the old town hall, the former Post Office and ''Nieuwe Toren''.

Gallery

File:Cellebroederspoort Kampen.jpg, Cellebroederspoort in Kampen File:De voorgevel en linker zijgevel van de voormalige synagoge te Kampen - Kampen - 20350358 - RCE.jpg, Former synagogue in Kampen File:Kampen stadhuis.jpg, Former town hall File:Kampen, De Nieuwe Toren RM23186 poging2 foto9 2016-02-17 12.37.jpg, New Tower (''Nieuwe Toren'') File:Bovenkerk Kampen toren.jpg, Church: Bovenkerk File:Kampen, de Kalverhekkenbrug en de Buitenkerk foto2 2016-02-17 13.13.jpg, Bridge (Kalverhekkenbrug) and church (Buitenkerk) File:Kampen, de Lutherse kerk RM23024 foto5 2016-02-17 13.04.jpg, Reformed church File:2007-04-23 14.14 Kampen, theologische universiteit.JPG, File:20080520 d' Olde Zwarver Kampen NL.jpg, Windmill: d' Olde Zwarver File:Kampenkmpoortklein.jpg, Towngate: Korenmarktpoort File:Kampen, de Stadsbrug foto10 2016-02-17 10.35.jpg, Bridge: Stadsbrug File:Kampen, schip langs de IJsselkade foto5 2016-02-17 10.50.jpg, Ship at the IJsselkade File:Kampen, kantoorgebouw ABN Amrobank aan de IJsselkade foto7 2016-02-17 10.57.jpg, Office building of the ABN AMRO bank at the IJsselkade File:Kampen, het Bevrijdingsmonument aan de De La Sablonairekade foto8 2016-05-17 11.29.jpg, Liberation memorial at the De La Sablonairekade File:Onderdijksewaard7.jpg, The new Anabranch called File:Rietmoerassen bij Polder Dronthen, Kampen II.jpg, The westside of the island of Kampen, with marches going into the Drontermeer

Festivals and events

An annual festival during the summer months is the ' day. The name is derived from a series of folk tales in which the inhabitants of Kampen were portrayed as stupid. Another summer event is the Full Color Festival, which is organized annually. Every third Saturday of August, a comics event, called the ''Kamper Stripspektakel'', is organized with over 100 booths. Once every three years ''Sail Kampen'' takes place, a sailing spectacle with (old) sailing ships. A weekend before Christmas ''Christmas in Oud Kampen'' is organized. There is street theater, where pieces of famous musicals are played, and mid-nineteenth-century characters are walking around the city.

Sports

Kampen is the home of football team Go Ahead Kampen and its rivals Dos Kampen, KHC Kampen, VV Kampen and IJVV.

Humor

The foolish wisdom of the residents of the Dutch city of Kampen gave rise to the term "Kamper onion" (Kamper ui, plural: Kamper uien) for town-of-fools type stories, as well for the "Kampersteur" ("Kamper

Sturgeon Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

") dish, which is made not of sturgeon, but of eggs: to greet a visiting bishop the Kampers caught a large sturgeon, and to keep it fresh they tied a cowbell to it and let it back in water. When the bishop arrived, the fish was gone, and a dish made of eggs was served instead. The "onion" in "Kamper onion" comes from the tale, variants of which are known in various cultures: a tramp convinces a farmer and his wife that he knows how to cook a nutritious stew from onion and salt. But while cooking he adds plenty of other stuff "to improve the taste".

Twin towns

Kampen is twinned with:

Transportation

The Kampen railway station opened in 1865 as terminus of the Kamperlijntje branch from Overijssel's capital city

Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...

. It is served by a non-stop diesel service on a single track. The line was renovated in 2017 to be electrified. In December 2017, Keolis Nederland took over the line, after

Nederlandse Spoorwegen (, , NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The rail infrastructure is maintained by network manager ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operato ...

lost the line in a tendering process. There is an alternative railway connection with Zwolle via the Hanzelijn, which links

with

via Dronten,

Lelystad Lelystad () is a Dutch Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and the capital city of the province of Flevoland in the central Netherlands. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who en ...

and

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands across the IJmeer fro ...

. It was inaugurated by

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born during the reign of her maternal gr ...

in December 2012. Kampen Zuid railway station was built a few kilometers south of Kampen near the junction of the national roads N50 and N764, where a new residential development is planned. Somewhat confusingly, there was a Kampen Zuid railway station in existence before, between 1 October 1913 and 15 May 1934. This was the terminus of the Kampen–Hattem railway line, which connected with the Zwolle–Apeldoorn service via Wapenveld and Heerde. Surface roads connecting the city include N760, N763, N765 and N307.

Education

Kampen had two theological universities: the Theological University of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PThU) and the theological college of the Reformed Church of the Netherlands (TUK).

Notable residents

The arts

* Hendrick Avercamp (1585 – 1634 in Kampen) a painter of small winter landscapes * Barent Avercamp (1612 in Kampen – 1679) a Dutch painter * Jacob Eduard van Heemskerck van Beest (1828 in Kampen – 1894) a Dutch painter * Coen Hissink (1878 in Kampen – 1942) a Dutch film actor of the silent era * Ida Gerhardt (1905 in

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( ), pronunciation respelling, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The munici ...

– 1997) Dutch poet and classicist. * Gerard Hengeveld (1910 in Kampen – 2001) pianist, harpsichordist and composer. *

Sybren Polet Sybe Minnema (June 19, 1924 – July 19, 2015), known by his pen name Sybren Polet, was a Dutch prose writer and poet. He won numerous awards, among them the 2003 Constantijn Huygens Prize. Born in Kampen, he worked as a teacher in Zwolle ...

(1924 in Kampen – 2015) a Dutch prose writer and poet * Gait L. Berk, Dutch Wiki (1927 in Kampen – 2006) writer and film maker about boats and trees *

Henk van Ulsen Henk van Ulsen (8 May 1927, Kampen (Overijssel), Kampen – 28 August 2009, Bussum) was a Dutch actor. He won the Louis d'Or (award), Louis d'Or for best male stage actor in 1970. References External links

* 1927 births 2009 death ...

(born 1927 in Kampen – 2009 ) actor * Klaas Jan Mulder, Dutch Wiki (1930 in Kampen - 2008) Dutch organist, pianist and conductor. * Wim Ramaker, Dutch Wiki (1943 in Kampen – 1992) Dutch broadcaster, writer and poet * Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) bass-baritone, bass-soloist and ensemble singer

Public thinking & public service

* Albert Pighius (ca. 1490 in Kampen - 1542) a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian, mathematician and astronomer. * Jacob van Deventer (ca.1500/1505 in Kampen – 1575) a Dutch cartographer * Andries Hudde (1608 in Kampen – 1663) landowner and colonial official of

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

* François Adriaan van der Kemp (1752 in Kampen – 1829) a Dutch radical leaders of the Patriots * Jan Willem de Winter (1761 in Kampen – 1812) a Dutch

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

* Pieter Hendrik van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1782 in Kampen – 1825) a Dutch count and baron and Army general * Francina Broese Gunningh (1783 in Kampen - 1824) a Dutch soldier * Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar (1811 in Kampen – 1880) a Belgian architect * Hendrik Tonneboeijer (1814 in Kampen – 1837) a Dutch colonial officer in

Dutch Gold Coast The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch (et ...

* Lucien von Römer (1873 in Kampen - 1965), a Dutch physician, botanist and writer * Jan Joseph Godfried, Baron van Voorst tot Voorst Jr. (1880 in Kampen – 1963) commander of the Dutch armed forces during WWII and strategist * Klaas Schilder (1890 in Kampen – 1952) Reformed theologian and professor in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands * Adriaan Schuurman, Dutch Wiki (1904 in Kampen – 1998) organist and Protestant church musician * Wiert Berghuis, Dutch Wiki (1911 in Kampen - 1989) Mayor of Kampen 1952–1970, chairman of the Anti-Revolutionary Party * Dr. Willem Johan Kolff (1911 in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

– 2009) physician at the former municipal hospital, pioneer of haemodialysis. * G. A. den Hartogh (born 1943 in Kampen) a Dutch moral, legal and political philosopher

Sport

* (1876 in Kampen - 1924) chess master * Petra van Staveren (born 1966 in Kampen), swimmer, golden medalist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

* Jaap Stam (born 1972 in Kampen), retired football player with 415 club caps *

Reinder Nummerdor Reinder Aart Nummerdor (born 10 September 1976) is a Dutch volleyball player who represented his native country at five consecutive Summer Olympics. Two times as a member of the indoor volleyball team in 2000 and 2004, and three more times after ...

(born 1976) a Dutch volleyball player, competed in five consecutive Summer Olympics * Robert de Wilde (born 1977 in Kampen), BMX World Champion, competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Other

* Aalt Mondria (born 1957 in Kampen - 2011) a Dutch criminal and serial killer

References

External links

*
Official website

A view on the old city of Kampen
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Members of the Hanseatic League Municipalities of Overijssel Populated places in Overijssel Kop van Overijssel Salland