Zwolle () 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 Northeastern

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 ...

. It is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of 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 ...

and the province's second-largest municipality, after

Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...

, and has a population of 132,441 as of December 2023. Zwolle borders the province 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 ...

and lies on the eastern side 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 ...

History

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

findings indicate that the area surrounding Zwolle has been inhabited for a long time. A

woodhenge Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class II henge and timber circle monument within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is northeast of Stonehenge, in Durrington parish, just north of the town of Amesbury. Discovery Woodhen ...

that was found in the Zwolle-Zuid suburb in 1993 was dated to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

period. During the Roman era, the area was inhabited by

Salian Franks The Salian Franks, or Salians, sometimes referred to using the Latin word or , were a Frankish people who lived in what was is now the Netherlands in the fourth century. They are only mentioned under this name in historical records relating to ...

. The modern city was founded around 800 CE by Frisian merchants and troops of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. Previous spellings of its name include the identically pronounced ''Suolle'', which means "hill" (cf. the English

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

verb A verb is a word that generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual description of English, the basic f ...

"to swell"). This refers to an incline in the landscape between the four rivers surrounding the city,

, Vecht, Aa and

Zwarte Water The Zwarte Water ("Black Water") is a river in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is formed just south of the city of Zwolle when two streams, the Soestwetering and the Nieuwe Wetering, merge. The Zwarte Water then flows north through Zwoll ...

. The hill was the only piece of land that would remain dry during the frequent floodings of the rivers. Zwolle was established on that incline. A document mentions the existence of a parish church dedicated to

St Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

. That church, the Grote of Sint Michaëlskerk (St. Michael's church), was renovated in the first half of the 15th century and exists to this day. The church contains a richly carved

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

, the work of Adam Straes van Weilborch (about 1620), some good carving, and an exquisite Baroque organ from 1721 designed by master organ builder

Arp Schnitger Arp Schnitger (2 July 164828 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German organ builder. Considered the paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especial ...

and completed by his sons Franz Caspar and Johann Georg. On 31 August 1230, the bishop of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

granted Zwolle

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

. Zwolle became a member of the

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 ...

in 1294, and in 1361 joined the war between the Hanseatic League and

Valdemar IV of Denmark Valdemar IV Atterdag, Valdemar Christoffersen or Waldemar (24 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance wars under previous rul ...

. In the 1370 Treaty of Stralsund that ended the war, Zwolle was awarded a ''vitte'', a trade colony, in

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, then part of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Zwolle's golden age came in the 15th century. Between 1402 and 1450, the city's

Gross Regional Product Gross regional domestic product (GRDP), gross domestic product of region (GDPR), or gross state product (GSP) is a statistic that measures the size of a region's economy. It is the aggregate of gross value added (GVA) of all resident producer unit ...

multiplied by about six. In July 1324 and October 1361, regional

noblemen Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...

set fire to Zwolle. In the 1324 fire, only nine buildings escaped the flames. Blaeu 1652 - Zwolle

Zwolle was also, with

Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...

, one of the centers of the

Brethren of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (, FVC) was a Roman Catholic pietist religious community founded in the Netherlands in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly educator who had had a religious experience and preached a ...

, a

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

movement. from Zwolle, on a slight eminence called the Agnietenberg, (hill of St Agnes), once stood the Augustinian convent in which

Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis, CRV ( – 25 July 1471; ; ) was a German-Dutch Catholic canon regular of the Augustinians and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', one of the best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", ...

spent the greatest part of his life and died (in 1471). At least as early as 1911, Zwolle had a considerable trade by river, a large fish market, and the most important cattle market in the Netherlands after

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. The more important industries comprised cotton manufactures, iron works, boat-building, dyeing and bleaching, tanning, rope-making, and salt-making. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Zwolle was single-handedly liberated from the Nazis by Canadian soldier

Léo Major Léo Major (January 23, 1921 – October 12, 2008) was a Canadian soldier who was the only Canadian and one of only three soldiers in the British Commonwealth to receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) twice in separate wars. Major earne ...

. He was made an

honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of Zwolle on 14 April 2005, the 60th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the List of national independence days, date of independen ...

of his liberating of the city. He also has a street named after him, Leo Majorlaan.

21st century

In 2004, Zwolle's De Librije restaurant was honored with 3 stars by

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

; as of 2018, it is one of only three restaurants so honored in the entire country. In 2023, Tewelde Goitom, an Eritrean convicted in Ethiopia of migrant smuggling, kidnapping in Sinai and human trafficking appeared at a pretrial hearing in Zwolle, which made international headlines.

Blauwvingers

Citizens of Zwolle are colloquially known as ''Blauwvingers'' (Bluefingers). According to legend, the name dates back to 1682, when the St Michael's church tower collapsed. The authorities were strapped for cash and saw no option but to sell the

church bell A church bell is a bell in a church building designed to be heard outside the building. It can be a single bell, or part of a set of bells. Their main function is to call worshippers to the church for a service of worship, but are also rung o ...

s to the neighbouring city Kampen. To make sure that Kampen would not make too much profit from the deal, the local authorities asked a high price for the church bells. Kampen accepted, but when the bells arrived it became clear that they were too damaged to be played. In revenge, Kampen paid in copper coins of four ''duiten'' (the equivalent of two-and-a-half cents). Zwolle distrusted Kampen and wanted to be sure they truly paid the entire price. After the meticulous counting of the vast number of copper coins, their fingers had turned blue. In reality, the name Blauwvinger stems from 1521, when the governors of Zwolle broke the oath of loyalty they made to the Duke of Gelre. The name Blauwvinger refers to the raised fingers with which the governors had promised their loyalty to the Duke at his inauguration. At that time, Zwolle and Kampen were embroiled in a dispute over toll collection on the IJssel River. Zwolle initially aligned with the Duke of Gelre, Charles of Egmont, but eventually returned to the Bishop of Utrecht. During this period of political unrest, Duke Charles of Gelre was captured when he entered Zwolle. Ultimately, he was allowed to depart under the condition that Zwolle would retain its independence. The name Blauwvingers stems from the fact that the residents committed perjury twice, first to the bishop and then to the duke.

Sites

The Grote of Sint Michaëlskerk (St. Michael's church) has a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

organ built by

. The Roman Catholic ''Onze Lieve Vrouwe ten Hemelopneming''-

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

(Our Lady of the Assumption) dates back to 1399. The church tower, called ''Peperbus'' (pepperpot), is one of the tallest and most famous church towers in the Netherlands. The modernized

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

was originally built in 1448. The ''Broerenkerk'' church was part of a Dominican monastery founded in 1465. The monastery was closed in 1580 and the monks were expelled. From 1640 until 1982 the church was used for Protestant services. Following a restoration in 1983–1988 it was used for cultural events and became a bookstore.

Image gallery

File:Thorbeckegracht en Wijndragerstoren Zwolle Overijssel.jpg, Thorbeckegracht and Wijndragerstoren File:De Peperbus van Zwolle.jpg, Peperbus from the Eekwal File:Zwolle, Praubstraat.jpg, Praubstraat, inner city File:Zwolle Sassenpoort.jpg, Sassenpoort File:Thorbeckewal en Thorbeckegracht Zwolle Overijssel.jpg, Thorbeckewal and Vispoortbridge File:Zwolle, Rijke Fratershuis.jpg, Rich Friar House, a center of ''

Devotio Moderna Devotio Moderna (Latin; lit., Modern Devotion) was a movement for religious reform, calling for apostolic renewal through the rediscovery of genuine pious practices such as humility, obedience, simplicity of life, and integration into the communit ...

'' and later home of teacher Willem Bartjens ( nl) File:Zicht op Zwolle Centrum.jpg, Zwolle city centre File:Organ in Broerenkerk, Zwolle, 2013.jpg, The organ in Broerenkerk File:Herman Brood Museum & Experience Zwolle Overijssel.jpg,

Herman Brood Hermanus "Herman" Brood (; 5 November 1946 – 11 July 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter, actor and poet. As a musician he achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and was called "the greatest and only Dutch rock 'n' r ...

Museum & Experience File:Zwolle Prins Hendrikstraat Gate.jpg, Art Nouveau gate from 1902 on Prins Hendrikstraat. File:Zwolle, fontein in Stadsgracht bij Museum de Fundatie foto4 2016-06-05 10.03.jpg, Fountain near Museum de Fundatie

Notable residents

:''See also

People from Zwolle The term "the people" refers to the public or common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. In contrast, a ...

'' ;Arts, culture, entertainment and the media *

Willem Victor Bartholomeus Willem Victor Bartholomeus (Bunde, Limburg, Bunde, 11 February 1825 – Zwolle, 13 August 1892) was a Dutch organist and conductor. He was born in the family of sexton/organist/church singer Jan/Jean Bartholomeus and Maria Cornelia Isabella Hagem ...

(1825–1892), organist and conductor * Hein Boele (born 1939), actor, Dutch voice of

Elmo Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full 15-minute segmen ...

Jonnie Boer Jonnie Boer (9 January 1965 – 23 April 2025) was a Dutch Michelin star winning chef, head chef and co-owner of the restaurant De Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands. Biography Boer was born in Giethoorn. Together with his wife and business partner ...

(1965–2025), chef with three Michelin stars *

Gerard ter Borch Gerard ter Borch (; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects. He influenced his fellow Dutch painters Gabriel Metsu, Gerrit Dou, Eglon van der Neer and Johan ...

(1617–1681), painter * Gerard ter Borch the Elder (1583–1662), painter * Moses ter Borch (1645–1667), painter *

Rolf Bremmer Rolf Hendrik Bremmer Jr (born 13 August 1950, Zwolle) is a Dutch academic. He is professor of Old and Middle English, and extraordinary professor of Old Frisian, at Leiden University. Biography Rolf Bremmer's father, also named Rolf Hendrik Brem ...

(born 1950), scholar of Old Frisian, and of Old and Medieval English *

Tooske Breugem Antonia Grietje "Tooske" Ragas-Breugem (; born 3 June 1974), is a Dutch actress and television host. She played a flight attendant in '' 06/05'', a movie by Theo van Gogh about the murder of Pim Fortuyn. She was video jockey (VJ) at TMF Nethe ...

(born 1974), television host actress *

(1946–2001), painter/rock star *

Funda Eryiğit Funda Eryiğit (born 6 November 1984) is a Turkish actress. Early life She is of Turkish, Circassian, and Georgian descent. After graduating from Kadir Has Anatolian High School, she studied International Relations at Istanbul University, and ...

(born 1984), Turkish actress * Willem Grasdorp (1678–1723), painter * Aleida Greve (1670–1742), painter * Anna Cornelia Holt (1671–1692), painter * Sophia Holt (1658–1734), painter *

Antonina Houbraken Antonina Houbraken (30 May 1686 – December 1736) was an 18th-century Dutch people, Dutch draughtswoman who is known for her many topographical drawings of Dutch sites. She also drew landscapes. She is recorded as a skilled portraitist. Li ...

(1686–1736), draughtswoman * Marnix Kappers (1943–2016), actor *

(–1471), canon and mystic * Master I. A. M. of Zwolle (–1490), engraver *

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael "Ton" Koopman (; born 2 October 1944) is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. He is a professor ...

(born 1944), a conductor, organist, and harpsichordist *

Yuri Landman Yuri Landman (born 1 February 1973) is a Dutch inventor of musical instruments and musician who has made several experimental electric string instruments for a number of artists including Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Liars (band), Liars, Jad Fair ...

(born 1973), experimental musical instrument builder, comic book artist * Cornelia van Marle (1661–1698), painter * Michael Minsky (1918–1988), singer and conductor *

Leonard van Munster Leonard van Munster (born February 1972, Zwolle) is a Dutch contemporary artist making Site-specific and Subject-specific work. He studied from 1992 to 1996 at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. This included an exchange programme to Parson ...

(born 1972), artist *

Opgezwolle Opgezwolle () was a Dutch rap group consisting of MCs Sticky Steez and Phreako Rico, and beatmaker DJ Dippy Delic. Biography In 2001 Opgezwolle competed in a contest called "De Oogst van Overijssel". After winning the final in Enschede in May 20 ...

(since 2001), rap crew *

Jan Vayne Jan Vayne (pseudonym of Jan Veenje) (born June 9, 1966 in Zuidwolde, Drenthe) is a Dutch pianist. He began piano lessons at the age of 4 years and by the time he was 10, he had won his first prize. In 1984 Vayne began his study at the conservator ...

(Jan Veenje) (born 1966), pianist *

Charlotte Wessels Johanna Charlotte Wessels (born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the symphonic metal band Delain. Background Wessels has been trained in both jazz singing and classical singing. S ...

(born 1987), former singer for

Delain Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band formed in 2002 by former Within Temptation keyboardist Martijn Westerholt, intending for the band to be solely a project. Singer Charlotte Wessels was invited to join in 2005. In February 2021, the member ...

* Aleijda Wolfsen (1648–1692), painter ;Authors * Eef Brouwers (1939–2018), journalist and former head of the

Netherlands Government Information Service The Netherlands Government Information Service (''Dutch:'' Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, abbrev.: RVD) is a Dutch government agency. The RVD is the official information service of the Dutch government and is the spokesbody for the prime minister, th ...

A. den Doolaard A. den Doolaard (; , ; 7 February 1901 – 26 June 1994) is the pseudonym of the Dutch writer and journalist Cornelis Johannes George (Bob) Spoelstra Jr. Biography Den Doolaard went to high school in The Hague. After the death of his father he ...

(1901–1994), author *

Rhijnvis Feith Jonkheer, Jhr. Rhijnvis Feith (christened 9 February 1753 in Zwolle – 8 February 1824 in Zwolle) was a Dutch poet. Biography Feith was born into an Aristocracy (class), aristocratic family in Zwolle, the capital of the province Overijssel as ...

(1753–1824), author *

Everhardus Johannes Potgieter Everhardus Johannes Potgieter (June 27, 1808February 3, 1875) was a Dutch prose writer and poet, who was born at Zwolle in Overijssel. Biography He started life in a merchant's office at Antwerp. In 1831 he made a journey to Sweden, described ...

(1808–1875), author ;Business *

Willem Jan van Dedem Willem Jan, Baron van Dedem tot de Rollecate (18 March 1776 – 21 November 1851) was a Dutch lawyer, landowner and taxation officer who was responsible for the peat excavation in south-east Drenthe and north-east Overijssel. The and town of Ded ...

(1776–1851), landowner and founder of the canal and town of Dedemsvaart * Hendrikus Jacobus Gorter (1874-1918), ice skates manufacturer, cyclist and speed skater ;Religion * Johannes Busch (1399–), church reformer and provost of the Augustinian monastic order *

Alanus de Rupe Alan de la Roche (Ecclesiastical Latin: ''Alanus de Rupe''; French language, French: ''Alain'' – 8 September 1475) was a Breton-born priest and Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Priesthood in the Catholic Church, priest, Catholic myst ...

(1428–1475), Roman Catholic theologian and Dominican promotor of the

rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

* Andreas Ignatius Schaepman (1815–1882), Archbishop of Utrecht ;Politics *

Laurens Jan Brinkhorst Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 18 March 1937) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician and diplomat of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. Early life and education Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in the city of Zwolle. His parents were ...

(born 1937), former Minister of Economic Affairs * Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol (1741–1784), role in the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...

Wybo Fijnje Wybo Fijnje (24 January 1750 in Zwolle – 2 October 1809 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch Mennonite minister, publisher in Delft, Patriot, exile, coup perpetrator, politician and – during the Batavian Republic and Kingdom of Holland – manager of ...

(1750–1809), Mennonite minister, publisher, exile, coup perpetrator, politician *

Willem Johan Lucas Grobbée Willem () is a Dutch and West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Gu ...

(1822–1907),

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 1883 to 1885 * Johannes van Heerdt tot Eversberg (1829–1893), former governor of Suriname and Curaçao *

Piet Kasteel Petrus Albertus "Piet" Kasteel (4 November 1901 – 13 December 2003) was a Dutch journalist, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He was parliamentary editor of ', and fled to England during World War II where he served for the Dutch government- ...

(1901–2003), ambassador and former governor of Curaçao *

Johan Rudolf Thorbecke Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (14 January 1798 – 4 June 1872) was a Dutch liberal statesman, one of the most important Dutch politicians of the 19th century. Thorbecke is best known for heading the commission that drafted the revision of the Const ...

(1798–1872),

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands () or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers () is the ''de facto'' head of government of the Netherlands.''Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden'' onstitution of the Kingdom of the N ...

(1849 - 1853, 1862 - 1866, 1871 - 1872) ;Sports *

Anna van der Breggen Anna van der Breggen (born 18 April 1990) is a Dutch professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2021 for Team Flexpoint, , and . She won the gold medal in the Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olymp ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

and

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

cyclist *

Jeroen Dubbeldam Jeroen Dubbeldam (born 15 April 1973 in Zwolle) is a Dutch show jumping champion. Dubbeldam competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, where he won a gold medal in Equestrian at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Individual Jumping on the ho ...

(born 1973), 2000 Olympic Equestrian champion *

Marten Eikelboom Marten Eikelboom (born on 12 October 1973, in Zwolle) is a field hockey striker from the Netherlands, who was a member of the Dutch team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. After the World Hockey Cup in Kuala Lumpur (20 ...

(born 1973),

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player * Maarten Grobbe (1901–1961), football player *

Martin Haar Martin Haar (born 2 May 1952) is a Dutch association football, football coach and a former defender (association football), defender. He is an assistant coach with Jong AZ. Haar was born in Zwolle, Overijssel. He played for Go Ahead Eagles (19 ...

(born 1952), former football defender and current trainer *

Rinus Israël Marinus "Rinus" David Israël (born 19 March 1942) is a Dutch former professional association football, football player and manager who is currently a scout. Nicknamed "Iron Rinus", he formed a solid defence line at Feyenoord with Theo Laserom ...

(born 1942), former football player and current scout *

Ron Jans Ron Jans (; born 29 September 1958) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player, who is the head coach of FC Utrecht, Utrecht. Coaching career Groningen Born in Zwolle, Overijssel ...

(born 1958), former football player and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Bert Konterman Bert Konterman (, born 14 January 1971) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. Playing career Born in Rouveen, Konterman's career began with the local amateur club ''SC Rouveen'', then went on to play for clubs in ...

(1971), football player * Hennie van Nee (1939–1996), football player * Eric Pierik (born 1959),

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

player *

Tijjani Reijnders Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders (; born 29 July 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Netherlands national team. After representing various Dutch junior teams, Reijnd ...

(born 1998), football player *

Johnny Rep John Nicholaas Rep (born 25 November 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He holds the all-time record for FIFA World Cup goals for the Netherlands with 7. Playing career Rep played as a right-footed ...

(born 1951), football player * Piet Schrijvers (1946–2022), football player * Johannes Smeekens (born 1987), Olympic

speedskater 　 Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skating marathon, ...

Jaap Stam Jakob "Jaap" Stam (; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all-time. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that w ...

(born 1972), former football player and current coach * Bart Verbruggen (born 2002), football player * Gerrit Voges (1932–2007), football player *

Peter Wessels Peter Wessels (; born 7 May 1978) is a former tour professional male tennis player and a coach from the Netherlands. He achieved his career-high singles ranking of world No. 72 in February 2005. Biography Wessels had an excellent junior caree ...

(born 1978),

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player ;Science *

Christianus Carolus Henricus van der Aa Christianus Carolus Henricus van der Aa (25 August 1718 – 23 September 1793) was a Lutheran pastor in Haarlem and secretary of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities. Life Christianus Carolus Henricus was born in Zwolle, where ...

(1718–1793), secretary of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities *

Derk-Jan Dijk Derk-Jan Dijk (born 1958 in Zwollerkerspel, Netherlands) is a researcher of sleep and circadian rhythms. As at 2024 he is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Surrey and the director of its Sleep Research Centre. Education and early ...

(Born 1958), researcher of sleep and circadian rhythms *

Thomas Joannes Stieltjes Thomas Joannes Stieltjes ( , ; 29 December 1856 – 31 December 1894) was a Dutch mathematician. He was a pioneer in the field of moment problems and contributed to the study of continued fractions. The Thomas Stieltjes Institute for Mathematics ...

(1856–1894), mathematician, civil engineer and politician

Educational institutions

Zwolle is home to several universities of applied sciences and colleges: *

Artez ArtEZ University of Arts () is an art academy in Netherlands. ArtEZ combines several art institutes and art disciplines with branches in Arnhem, Enschede, and Zwolle. In its name the A stands for Arnhem, the E for Enschede, and Z for Zwolle. Aca ...

Christelijke Hogeschool Windesheim The Windesheim University of Applied Sciences is a public vocational university in Windesheim, The Netherlands. It was founded in 1986 and it's buildings are an example of modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist arch ...

* * *

Landstede Zwolle Landstede Hammers is a Dutch basketball club based in Zwolle. The club plays in the BNXT League, the Dutch top tier division. The club was founded as Cees Lubbers The Hammers in 1995. In 1999, the club’s name was changed into Landstede Hammers. ...

* * * * * Windesheim Honours College

Transport

Cycling

Nearly half of all trips in Zwolle were cycled as of 2013.

Road transport

The A28 serves Zwolle with 4 exits, and runs from

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. It was being widened to 8 lanes across the IJssel River and 6 lanes from Zwolle to Meppel in 2010 and 2011. The motorway initially opened between 1964 and 1970.

Rail transport

Zwolle railway station Zwolle is the main railway station of Zwolle in Overijssel, Netherlands. The station opened on 6 June 1864 and is on the Utrecht–Kampen railway, also known as the ''Centraalspoorweg'', the Zwolle–Almelo railway, the Arnhem–Leeuwarden rai ...

International relations

Twin towns—sister cities

Zwolle is currently twinned with: *

Lünen Lünen () is a town with around 86,000 inhabitants in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund, on both banks of the Lippe (river), River Lippe. It is the largest town of the Unna (district), Unna district and part of the R ...

, Germany In the past, Zwolle had partnerships with: *

Érsekhalma Érsekhalma () is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and had a population of 532 people in 2022. Partnership * Gheorghieni (Györgyfalva), Gheorghieni, Romania * ...

, Hungary *

Rutobwe Rutobwe was a commune located in Gitarama, Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a fe ...

, Rwanda *

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

, Russia *

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

, Russia There is also a small rural town in the U.S. State of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

named after

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 ...

. The two cities maintain close informal ties.

References

Literature

External links

* *
Official website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Members of the Hanseatic League Municipalities of Overijssel Populated places in Overijssel Provincial capitals of the Netherlands Salland