Zwolle, located in the province of Overjissel, is a small city that has a magnificent medieval fortress set in the historic center. As it is quite the destination to visit during the summer time, when most of their fun festivals are annually held, you shouldn’t miss visiting this quiet unassuming city. Though there is not much to see or do here compared to the other much more famous cities in the Netherlands, if it’s peace and quiet that you’re looking for, then Zwolle is the perfect city for you.
The city of Zwolle is said to be one the wealthiest and most powerful cities in medieval times, so if you want to experience some its history, you’ll be happy to know that most of their structures erected during their glory days still stand today. Take a long walk to its medieval center just up along the north of the train station and take in the stunning view of different structural accomplishments such as the Sassenpoort and the main church.
An interesting anecdote that you should know about Zwolle is that the locals of this city are colloquially referred to as Blauwvinge, which literally means blue fingers when translated into English. This is because during the olden days, there was a time when the authorities of the city had no choice but to sell their church bells to their neighbor Kampen in order to make ends meet. To ensure that Kampen wouldn’t gain so much profit from this transaction, Zwolle authorities decide to charge an exorbitantly high price for the bells. Though the buying party was not actually happy about the selling price, they accepted it nonetheless and paid the whole sum in copper coins. The local authorities ended up counting all that money until their fingers turned blue because of the copper.
Zwolle is truly a quaint destination that you should visit, not just for the sights, but for the people as well. We guarantee that this is one of the most interesting places you will ever visit if you’re looking for a history lesson that you will want to remember for the rest of your life.