Zutphen () is a city and municipality located 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 ...

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 ...

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 lies some northeast of

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, on the eastern bank 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 ...

at the point where it is joined by the

Berkel The Berkel () is a river in the Netherlands and Germany. It is a right tributary of the IJssel. The river rises in Billerbeck, near the German city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, and crosses the border with the Netherlands near Vreden ( ...

. First mentioned in the 11th century, the place-name appears to mean "south

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

" ( in modern

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

). In 2005, the municipality of Zutphen was merged with the municipality of

Warnsveld Warnsveld is a town in the eastern Netherlands, about 2 km east of Zutphen. History The first mention of the village in writing is from the year 1121 as Wansveld, and means "field of Warin or Warni (person)". Warnsveld developed in the Mid ...

, retaining its name. In 2021, the municipality had a population of .

History

In about

300 AD __NOTOC__ Year 300 (Roman numerals, CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab urbe condita''). The d ...

, a Germanic settlement was the first permanent town on a complex of the low river dunes. While many such settlements were abandoned in the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Zutphen, on the strategic confluence of

and

, stayed. After the incorporation of the IJssel lands in

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 ...

Francia The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...

, Zutphen became a local centre of

governance Governance is the overall complex system or framework of Process, processes, functions, structures, Social norm, rules, Law, laws and Norms (sociology), norms born out of the Interpersonal relationship, relationships, Social interaction, intera ...

under the

Count of Zutphen The title of Count of Zutphen historically belonged to the ruler of the Dutch province of Gelderland (Zutphen being one of the major cities in the province during the medieval period). The lordship was a vassal title before it eventually became a ...

. The

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

raided and ravaged it in

882 __NOTOC__ Year 882 ( DCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * January 20 – King Louis the Younger dies in Frankfurt. He leaves his territory to his younger brother, Emperor ...

. Afterwards, a circular fortress was built to protect the budding town against

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

attacks. In the eleventh century, Zutphen was a royal residence for a number of years; a

pfalz Pfalz, Pfälzer, or Pfälzisch are German words referring to Palatinate (disambiguation), Palatinate. They may refer to: Places *Pfalz, the Palatinate (region) of Germany **Nordpfalz, the North Palatinate **Vorderpfalz, the Anterior Palatinat ...

was built, together with a large

chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

church, the predecessor of the present St. Walburgis. The counts of Zutphen acquired a lot of power until the line of counts became extinct in the twelfth century. After the death of her father and her brother,

Ermengarde Ermengarde or Ermengard or Ermingarde or Irmingard or Irmgard is a feminine given name of Germanic origin derived from the Germanic words "ermen/irmin," meaning "whole, universal" and "gard" meaning "enclosure, protection". Armgarð is a Faroese ver ...

, the heiress of Zutphen married the count of

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

; her son

Henry I, Count of Guelders Henry I, Count of Guelders (1117–1182) was Count of Guelders from 1131 until 1182. He was a son of Gerard II of Guelders and Ermgard of Zutphen. In 1138 Hendrik inherited the County of Zutphen from his mother. Hendrik was under tremendous pres ...

was the first to have both titles. The settlement received

town 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 ...

between 1191 and 1196, allowing it to self govern and have a judicial court. One of the oldest towns in the country, only

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 ...

and

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, ...

preceded it in receiving town rights. Zutphen, in turn, became the mother town of several other towns in Guelders, such as

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Dutch Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ) is a city and Municipalities in the Netherlands, municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the IJssel, Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the Provinces of the Netherland ...

Doesburg Doesburg () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and had a population of in . The city is situated on the right bank of the River IJssel at its confluence w ...

Lochem Lochem () is a city and municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Eastern Netherlands. In 2005, it merged with the municipality of Gorssel, retaining the name of Lochem. As of 2019, it had a population of 33,590. Population centres Th ...

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

and Emmerich. It also became part 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 ...

, a group of towns with great wealth; this league was the economic centre in that part of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. During the 12th century, coins were minted in Zutphen by the Counts of Guelders and Zutphen:

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

(–1181) and

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

(1182–1207). Although the city had

minting Minting is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated south from the A158 road The A158 road is a major route that heads from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln in the west to Ske ...

rights for a few centuries, this was only actively used during four periods: 1478–1480, 1582–1583, 1604–1605 and 1687–1692. The largest and oldest church of the city is the St. Walburgis (

Saint Walpurga Walpurga or Walburga (; ; ; 71025 February 777 or 779) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Walpurgis Night, Saint Walpurgis Night (or "Sankt Walpurgisnacht") is the name fo ...

) church, which originally dates from the eleventh century. The present Gothic building contains monuments of the former counts of Zutphen, a fourteenth-century

candelabrum A candelabrum (plural candelabra but also used as the singular form) is a candle holder with multiple arms. "Candelabra" can be used to describe a variety of candle holders including chandeliers. However, candelabra can also be distinguished as b ...

, an elaborate copper

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

(1527), and a monument to the Van Heeckeren family (1700). The chapter-house's library () contains a pre-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

collection, including some valuable

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s and

incunabula An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...

. It is considered one of only five remaining medieval libraries in Europe (in England and Italy). This

chained library A chained library is a library where the books are attached to their bookcase by a chain, which is sufficiently long enough to allow the books to be taken from their shelves and read, but not removed from the library itself. The practice was usua ...

's books are still chained to their ancient wooden desk – a custom from centuries ago, when the "public library" used chains to prevent theft. Having been fortified, the town withstood several sieges, especially during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

, the most celebrated fight under its walls being the

Battle of Zutphen The Battle of Zutphen was fought on 22 September 1586, near the village of Warnsveld and the town of Zutphen, the Netherlands, during the Eighty Years' War. It was fought between the forces of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, aided ...

in September 1586 when

Sir Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586) was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. His works include a sonnet sequence, '' Astrophil and ...

was mortally wounded. Taken by the Spanish in 1587 by the treachery of the English commander

Rowland York Rowland York or Yorke (died 1588) was an English soldier of fortune and defector to Spain. Early life Rowland York was the ninth of eleven sons of Sir John York. He volunteered for the Netherlands under Thomas Morgan of Llantarnam in 1572. He e ...

, Zutphen was recovered by

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

, in the 1591 siege, and except for two short periods, one in 1672 and the other during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, it has since remained a part of the Netherlands. Its fortifications were dismantled in 1874. 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 ...

, the town was bombed several times by the allied forces because the bridge over the IJssel was vital to support the German troops at Arnhem after the Operation Market Garden. After two weeks of battle, the town was liberated on 14 April 1945. After the war, a renovation program started. Nowadays, Zutphen has one of the best-preserved medieval town centres of northwestern Europe, including the remains of the medieval town wall and a few hundred buildings dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

Modern city

20140421 IJsselkade en Walburgkerk Zutphen

The old center survived the

Second World War 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 ...

almost in its entirety despite the bombing of Zutphen. However, some parts of the city were lost, especially the area around the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

, in the northern part of the city centre, known as the (English: New City). The city center includes many monumental buildings dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and some even date back to the 13th century, such as a retirement home area. There are also remains of the old town walls in several places. Today, Zutphen is a modern small city. The urban area, which includes the village of Warnsveld, has about 51,000 inhabitants. Food shops are open from 8:30; Other stores are open from 9:30 to 18:00 on weekdays, on Friday evenings until 21:00 and on Saturdays until 17:00. Some stores open earlier, and the larger supermarkets usually stay open until 22:00.

Culture

Interesting buildings and squares

Because Zutphen contains many historical buildings with a

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

, Zutphen is often called the tower city. As there are almost no modern high-rise buildings in the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

, the historical tower

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

s are very visible and form the

skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

. The title of 'tower city' is often used in advertising to draw tourists.

Religious architecture

The was built as a Roman

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

around 1050 and initiated by the Bishop Burchard of Utrecht in 1105. After that, between 1200 and 1270, the church was rebuilt to a

Romano-Gothic In architecture, "Romano-Gothic" is a term (rarely used in writing in English) for an architectural style, part of Early Gothic architecture, which evolved in Europe in the 12th century CE from the Romanesque style, and was an early style in Goth ...

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 ...

. Later in the 14th century additional parts were added. After a fire in the belfry in 1446, the stone tower was remodelled between 1482–1484 where a large needle spire was added, resulting in a total height of 107.5 meters. Higher than the

Dom Tower of Utrecht The Dom Tower ( ) of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.32 metres (368,5 feet) in height. It is considered the symbol of Utrecht. The tower was part of St. Martin's Cathedral, also known as the Dom Church, and w ...

which was 104 meters at the time, though, after a lightning strike in 1600 which resulted in a destructive fire, the current tower is 76 meters tall after restorations in 1633. There are six bells in the tower, which are still rung by hand. Since 1561 a library called the Librije was added to the church. It was founded as a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

for the rich citizens of Zutphen. The library contains an important collection of 15th to 17th century books. The Broederen (brothers) church is a largely early 14th-century

monastery church A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship church service, services and Christian religion, Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 A ...

of the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. Since 1983 the church has been used as the city's public library, and it has recently been extensively restored. On top of the church, a roof turret from 1771 contains the porter's bell. This bell is still rung every day between 9:50 and 22:00 the time at which, until 1853, the

city gate A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway. Uses City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...

s would be closed. The Nieuwstadt (new city) church houses the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

community. It was founded as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

around 1250. Since then, it has been expanded, remodelled and restored many times. It has four original medieval bells.

Civic architecture

The Drogenaps tower was built between 1444 and 1446 as a city gate. In 1465 the entrance was bricked up, after which it became known as a tower instead of a gate. City musician Tonis Drogenap lived there around 1555, and the tower's current name is derived from him. From 1888 to 1927, the tower was used as a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

. The Wijnhuis (Winery) Tower was built between 1618 and 1642 by the city master builder Emond Hellenraet, influenced by

Hendrick de Keyser Hendrick de Keyser (15 May 1565 – 15 May 1621) was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in Ams ...

. In 1644 the brothers

Pieter and François Hemony Pieter Hemony (born Pierre Hemony; 161920 February 1680) and his brother François Hemony (24 May 1667) were the greatest bellfounders in the history of the Low Countries. They developed the carillon, in collaboration with Jacob van Eyck ...

made the world's first correctly tuned

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

for this tower. During the summer months, carillon concerts are regularly held. The Bourgonje tower was a defensive turret built in 1457. It was built during the Gelderland-Burgundian war. In this tower, the Dutch theologian and philosopher wrote his ''Katechismus der Natuur'' (Catechism of Nature). The Berkel gate is part of the city wall on the east side of the medieval city. This gate over the river Berkel connected the old and new cities. It was built in 1320. It also had a western counterpart, but that gate was demolished in 1772.

Other interesting sights in Zutphen

The city of Zutphen had almost 400 national

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

s and over 500 local monuments. It is one of the most important and well-preserved historical city centers in the Netherlands. Zutphen has a great many medieval, especially 14th-century, houses. These houses, often with ornamental facades, can be seen throughout the city center. There are several large 18th and 19th century buildings near the old city market that used to belong to well-to-do citizens and merchants.

Regional center

Juridical center

Zutphen, although relatively small, is a center for Dutch legal institutions. Zutphen houses one of the 13 Dutch courts, as well as the national training institution for judges and public prosecutors (SSR), the national police academy for senior police investigators, three prisons, and a large number of lawyers. The early emergence of Zutphen in the Middle Ages as the main town of a county explains its prominent position in the juridical system. Besides a 'normal' prison, the JPC de Sprengen penitentiary facility for boys is also located in Zutphen. There are several buildings: new institutions replacing the old facilities, but the old prisons remained open after the completion of the new facilities. Only the old prison called Lunette did not meet today's standards and closed in 2008.

Medical centre

Located in Zutphen is the "Spittal", location of the Gelre Ziekenhuizen (Gelre Hospitals) group. This regular hospital offers all common specialties (no cardio-thoracic or neurosurgery) and a 24/7 emergency department. It is located in the southeastern part of the town, in the district of Leesten. A sizable number of practitioners of alternative medicine are located in Zutphen.

Educational centre

Zutphen is home to several well-known schools for secondary education on all levels. These include the "Het Stedelijk" (Dalton plan education and bilingual education), "Baudartius College", "Vrije School Zutphen", (a "Vrije School" being a

Waldorf School Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical ski ...

), and "Isendoorn College" (with bilingual education, located in

). Students from a wide area around Zutphen learn at these schools.

Transport

Rail

Zutphen railway station Zutphen is a railway station located in Zutphen, Netherlands. The station was opened on 2 February 1865, rebuilt after the Second World War and is located on the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway, Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway, Amsterdam–Zutphen railwa ...

is an important regional railway centre. The main electrified lines, to

and

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 ...

in the north, and to

and

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

in the south, are run by the national railway company

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 ...

(NS). The secondary lines to

Winterswijk Winterswijk (; also known as ''Winterswiek'' or ''Wenters'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It has a population of and is situated in the Achterhoek, which lies in the easternmost part ...

and

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

are operated by

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

. The secondary line to

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants dialect, Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the Twente region, in the province of Overijssel. It is part of a larger urban area that also includes Enschede, Borne, Overijssel, Borne, Almelo and Ol ...

is operated by Blauwnet (a division of

Syntus Keolis Nederland is a public transport company operating bus and passenger train services in the Netherlands. Originally created as Syntus and owned by Connexxion, Keolis and Nederlandse Spoorwegen, since 2012 Keolis Nederland has been a 100% subs ...

). The regional rail service is run by a special subsidiary of the NS. All secondary lines run diesel trains. Zutphen's old station building (1863), upgraded in 1875, was partly destroyed during

. In the early 1950s a modern new station was built, a typical post-war building with concrete as its main material. However, in October 2007, the station building was designated as a State Monument. In 2006 and 2007, the railway station area was completely renovated: a new bus terminal and an underground bicycle parking lot were constructed, and the main road leading from the railway station to the town centre was turned into a road for pedestrians and cyclists only.

Road

Zutphen lies 10 kilometers south of the A1 motorway, which can be entered where it passes

. From there the A1 leads East to

and West past

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 ...

. Main roads are the N348 (Arnhem to Zutphen, Deventer and Ommen), N314 (Zutphen to Doetinchem), N319 (Zutphen to Vorden and Winterswijk), N345 (Zutphen to Lochem and Hengelo), N826 (Zutphen to Almen and Laren).

Bus

Almost all buses in and around Zutphen are

. There are three internal city bus lines, and regional lines to

Almen Almen is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is in the municipality Lochem, about 7 km east of the city of Zutphen. It was first mentioned in 1188 as Almen, and means "settlement near elm trees". Castle Ehze was built around 13 ...

- Laren and

Vorden Vorden is a former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands, about 10 kilometres south-east of Zutphen. On 1 January 2005 the municipality merged with Hummelo en Keppel, Steenderen, Hengelo en Zelhem, t ...

. The bus lines towards

and

Dieren Dieren () is a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in Rheden, Gelderland, between Zutphen and Arnhem, on the bank of the IJssel. Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden. The Gazelle bicycle fa ...

were canceled in the past; these towns and the destinations in between can now only be reached by car or by train.

Sister cities

Zutphen is twinned with: Delegations including the mayors of the cities visit each other, and developmental aid programs are in place with Satu Mare, Tartu and Villa Sandino.

Notable residents

Public service

* Gerard Zerbolt of Zutphen (1367–1398) a mystical writer and early member 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 ...

* Johannes Mensing (1477–1547) a German Dominican theologian and controversialist, an opponent of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

(c. 1609–1667 and 1619–1680) bell founders, who built the world's first tuned carillon, installed in Zutphen's Wijnhuistoren tower in 1644 *

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle Arnold Joost van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle (January 167030 May 1718) was a Dutch States Army officer and nobleman who fought for William III of England and became the first Earl of Albemarle. He had a very close relationship with William an ...

(1670–1718) right-hand man of

William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

. * Judith van Dorth (1747 in Warnsveld – 1799) an orangist and aristocrat, executed for treason *

John Andrew Stedman John Andrew Stedman (1778–1833) was general in the Dutch army during the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Stedman was born at Zutphen in 1778, the son of William George Stedman (a naturalised Dutchman of Scottish descent), and a Dutch mother of noble ...

(1778–1833) a general in the Dutch army during 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 ...

* Jacob van Heeckeren tot Enghuizen (1792–1884) a Dutch diplomat *

Herman Hendrik Baanders Herman Hendrik Baanders (22 August 1849, in Zutphen – 31 March 1905, in Amsterdam), also known as Hermanus Hendrikus Baanders and H.H. Baanders, was a Dutch architect who was primarily active in Amsterdam. Like many other architects around t ...

(1849–1905) architect who was primarily active in Amsterdam *

Richard Constant Boer Richard Constant Boer (31 January 1863 – 20 August 1929) was a Dutch linguist who specialized in Old Norse. Academic history Boer received his Ph.D. in 1888 from the University of Groningen for his edition of Örvar-Odds saga. From 1888 to 19 ...

(1863 in Warnsveld – 1929) a Dutch linguist specializing in

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

* Gijsbert Weijer Jan Bruins (1884–1948) executive director

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...

1946/48, Royal commissioner of the Netherlands Bank 1926–1946 Dutch Wiki, Gijsbert Weijer Jan Bruins * Hendrik Mulderije (1896–1970) politician, Minister of Justice *

Joop Westerweel Joop Westerweel (25 January 1899, Zutphen – 11 August 1944, Vught) was a schoolteacher, a non-conformist socialist and a Christian anarchist who became a Dutch World War II resistance leader, the head of the Westerweel Group. Westerweel, al ...

(1899–1944) Dutch World War II resistance leader, the head of the Westerweel Group *

Robert van Gulik Robert Hans van Gulik (, 9 August 1910 – 24 September 1967) was a Dutch orientalist, diplomat, musician (of the guqin), and writer, best known for the Judge Dee historical mysteries, the protagonist of which he borrowed from the 18th-century ...

(1910–1967) an orientalist, diplomat, and writer * Dr.

Gerrit Kastein Dr. Gerrit Willem Kastein (25 June 1910 – 21 February 1943) was a Dutch people, Dutch communist, neurologist and Dutch resistance, resistance fighter and leader during World War II. Early life Kastein was born in Zutphen, the eldest son of Albe ...

(1910–1943) a Dutch communist, neurologist and resistance fighter in WWII * Jan Christiaan Lindeman (1921–2007) botanist *

Theo Hendriks Theodorus Josephus Maria "Theo" Hendriks (18 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) was a Dutch politician, he served as member of the House of Representatives between 1994 and 1998. Although elected for the General Elderly Alliance he was soon expelled fro ...

(1928–2015), politician (

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

) *

Mart Bax Marten Meile Gerrit "Mart" Bax (born 13 April 1937, Zutphen) is a Dutch emeritus (retired in 2002) endowed professor in political anthropology at the Vrije Universiteit (VU University), Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After his retirement, he came into ...

(born 1937) emeritus and professor in political anthropology at the

Vrije Universiteit The (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the othe ...

Henk Tennekes Hendrik Tennekes (December 13, 1936 – July 3, 2021) was a Dutch director of research at the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (''Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut'', or KNMI), and was a Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at P ...

(1950–2020) toxicologist * Paul de Krom (born 1963) politician, Minister in the

First Rutte cabinet The first Rutte cabinet, also called the Rutte–Verhagen cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, government of the Netherlands from 14 October 2010 until 5 November 2012. The Cabinet of the ...

Kees Luesink Kees Luesink (January 21, 1953 in Zutphen – December 27, 2014 in Doesburg) was a Dutch politician for GreenLeft (GroenLinks). Since December 1, 2008 he had been mayor of Doesburg. Previously he was an alderman An alderman is a member of a Muni ...

(1953–2014) politician and Mayor of

* Ap Dijksterhuis (born 1968) social psychologist at

Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public university, public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students. Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistentl ...

The arts

Catharina van Rees Catharina Felicia van Rees (22 August 1831 – 1 April 1915) was an author, editor, and composer. She wrote novels about the lives of composers and edited a collection of "Dutch Authoresses" to use the language of the time. She wrote her novels u ...

(1831–1915) an author, editor and composer *

Jan Brandts Buys Jan Willem Frans Brandts Buys (Zutphen, 12 September 1868 – Salzburg, 7 December 1933) was a Dutch-Austrian composer who came from a long line of Dutch organists and composers of protestant church music. His father was an organ player in the t ...

(1868–1933) a Dutch-Austrian classical composer * Margo Scharten-Antink (1869–1957) a Dutch poet * Mommie Schwarz (1876–1942 in Auschwitz) a Dutch Jewish painter and graphic artist *

Jo Spier Joseph Eduard Adolf Spier (26 June 1900 – 21 May 1978) was a popular Dutch artist and illustrator. Life Jo Spier was born in Zutphen, the Netherlands. From 1924 to 1939 Jo Spier worked for the newspaper ''De Telegraaf'' where he created humo ...

(1900–1978) artist and illustrator *

Marlous Fluitsma Maria Louise Clara Albertine Fluitsma (born 12 December 1946), known as Marlous Fluitsma, is a Dutch actress, known for her roles in Dutch films and on television in various Dutch language series. She was well-known to Europeans outside the Neth ...

(born 1946) a Dutch film and TV actress *

Ellen ten Damme Ellen ten Damme (born 7 October 1967) is a Dutch actress, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Ten Damme both sings and acts in four languages (Dutch, English, French and German), and plays piano and keyboards, guitar and violin. During he ...

(born 1967 in Warnsveld) a Dutch actress, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist *

Mark van Eeuwen Mark van Eeuwen (born 23 July 1976) is a Dutch actor. He is known for his role as Jack van Houten in the long-running soap opera ''Goede tijden, slechte tijden''. Career He played the role of criminal Frans Meijer in the 2015 film ''Kidnappi ...

(born 1976 in Warnsveld) a Dutch actor * Bas Kosters (born 1977) a Dutch fashion designer, known for his colourful designs

Sport

* Lambertus Doedes (1878–1955) a sailor, competed at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

* Dolf van der Scheer (1909–1966) a speed skater, competed in the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...

Jos Alberts Johan Arend "Jos" Alberts (born 24 January 1960) is a Dutch cyclist. He competed in the men's team time trial event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, finishing in fourth place. See also * List of Dutch Olympic cyclists This is a list of all Dut ...

(born 1960) a cyclist * Hans Keldermann (born 1966) a rower *

Mitchell van der Gaag Mitchell van der Gaag (born 22 October 1971) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current head coach of Swiss Super League side FC Zürich. He made 208 Eredivisie appearances, scoring ...

(born 1971) a retired footballer with 431 club caps and a football manager *

Josephus Schenk Josephus Schenk (born 19 August 1980, in Zutphen) is a former Dutch professional darts player. Career Schenk began playing in the Professional Darts Corporation made his PDC World Darts Championship debut in 2005 where he defeated American Dari ...

(born 1980) a professional darts player *

Henri Schoeman (judoka) Henri Schoeman (born 22 April 1983 in Zutphen) is a Dutch former judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally ...

(born 1983) judoka *

Jan Werle Jan Werle (born 15 January 1984) is a Dutch chess grandmaster. He earned the International Master title in 2001 and was subsequently named a Grandmaster in 2006. He reached his peak FIDE rating of 2,607 in January 2009. Early success Werle bega ...

(born 1984 in Warnsveld) a chess grandmaster and student civil lawyer * Mirte Roelvink (born 1985) footballer in the

Netherlands women's national football team The Netherlands women's national football team () represents the Netherlands in international Women's association football, women's football, and is directed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), which is a member of UEFA and FIFA. ...

Johnatan Opoku Johnatan Opoku (born 18 April 1990) is a Dutch footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Vierde Divisie club MASV. Career On 13 September 2022, Opoku joined Saudi Arabian club Jeddah. Opoku joined amateur club MASV in January 2024, ...

(born 1990) a footballer

Gallery

File:The lovely "Clockbuilding"at Zutphen in the courtgarden - panoramio.jpg, Clockbuilding at Zutphen in the courtgarden File:IJsselharbour of Zutphen at 29 March 2014 - panoramio.jpg, IJsselharbour of Zutphen File:Zutphen, Netherlands - panoramio (110).jpg, Zutphen File:Zutphen The Berkelpoort.jpg, The Berkelpoort

References

External links

Official Website

Photo Album of Zutphen (in Dutch only)

Hanseatic Cities in the Netherlands

Official tourism office Website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Gelderland Populated places in Gelderland Members of the Hanseatic League Achterhoek Populated places established in the 3rd century