Deventer

Deventer is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. It is on the river IJssel and was a member of the Hanseatic League. This town in the province of Overijssel offers a great collection of heritage. It is home to the country's oldest brick house, the oldest park and the oldest academic library. Today, the town is also known for its annual Dickens festival in December.

Understand
Deventer is home to just over 80,000 people, and was first mentioned in 9th-century documents. The city would have been a Saxon settlement around an important tree. With the coming of the Anglo-Saxon missionary Lebuinus, this site would have been used to build a church around 768 AD. This church, which would have stood where the Lebuinuskerk stands today, would see a city form around it, which grew to a religious centre for all of Oversticht (roughly modern-day Overijssel). In the 11th and 12th centuries, Deventer was a very important and wealthy city, in part thanks to its religious function, and in part thanks to trade. As a member of the Hanseatic League, this city profited greatly from trade along the river IJssel. Many of the buildings erected in those heady days remain standing and make the historical centre appealing for visitors. Deventer, once arguably one of the most important cities of the Netherlands, holds claim to the oldest surviving house of the country, which dates from 1130, as well as the oldest city park of the Netherlands, De Worp, which was opened some time before 1699.

Some might refer to Deventer as the "Moscow of the west", due to its left-leaning political stance during the last half of the 20th century, but Deventer is more commonly nicknamed 'Koekstad' (Cake City) for its Deventer Koek, or 'Stokvissengat' (Stockfish Hole) during Carnaval, stockfish being one of the more prominent historical trade goods of the city.

Tourist information

 * Deventer Tourism website

By plane
Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam is the largest airport in the vicinity. From there, directly under the arrivals area, regular trains can be boarded that take about 1½ hours to reach Deventer. By car, the journey takes fractionally longer and will involve navigating the ring roads around Amsterdam before hitting the A1.

Eindhoven Airport caters to low-cost airlines. The train journey to Deventer from Eindhoven takes about 2 hours, while the journey by car is less than 1½ hours.

By car
From Amsterdam, Deventer can be reached via the A1 motorway. The ride takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on traffic. From the north or south of the country, use the A50 to get to Apeldoorn from either Arnhem (south) or Zwolle (north). To the south-east of Apeldoorn, turn onto the A1 following signs for Deventer. Other important road connections into town are the N337, N344 and N348.

By train
Deventer has two train stations; is the main one and of most use to travellers. Regular trains connect the city to all major destinations in the Netherlands. The international train between Amsterdam and Hannover/Berlin also makes a stop at Deventer. The second station is, which mostly serves the east of the city. This station is one you'll likely not see, since only local trains between Almelo and Apeldoorn call here.

Direct intercity services connect Deventer to Amsterdam (€19.40) and Schiphol Airport (€20.70). In both cases, the journey will take about 75-80 minutes. Other direct connections (typically running every half hour) include Zwolle, Arnhem, Enschede, Utrecht, Tilburg, 's Hertogenbosch and Rotterdam. Taking the Intercity service from Berlin sets you back €38, but prices might be higher depending on demand. The connection with Berlin sees a train depart in either direction every two hours.

By boat
Deventer has a marina, though it is a small walk (2.1 km) away from the city centre. The walk to the city centre is relatively flat and properly paved though, following the dike defending against the river IJssel, so it doesn't take loads of effort to reach the city either. Still, if necessary, there are bikes that can be borrowed. The marina offers at least thirty spots for passers-by, varying in length between 6 m and 17 m. The price for mooring in the marina is €1.80 per metre, per night, which includes the price of electricity, water, a shower and Wi-Fi. Add onto that €0.50 per person per night of tourism tax. You can find the marina between the kilometre markers 947 and 948.

Get around
The historic city centre is small and most suited to explore on foot. The Brink is a good place to start, as it houses the Tourist Information Office (at number 89) and a museum in the Waag. Maps to themed walking routes can be obtained there. As in most Dutch cities, pedestrian road signs also give directions to the prime sights.

A small brings pedestrians to the other side of the IJssel River, allowing for easy access to the Ossenwaard natural area, which offers lovely walks and (in summer) some pleasant riverside beach areas. A single/return ticket costs €1.10/1.70. The ferry ride offers some nice views over town and makes it possible to park without charge at the Worp (which is on the other side of the river). It runs regularly until late (23:00), but don't worry about not catching the last one: taking either of the bridges is an easy (though less entertaining) alternative.

To see more of the city's natural surroundings, renting a bicycle is a good alternative. They're available from bike shops like. When it's closed, on Sundays or Mondays, try the Fletcher Gildehotel (Nieuwstraat) or the Sandton IJsselhotel (at the Worp).

See
The oldest part of the town, just south of the railway station, still contains many medieval buildings. Just walking around the compact centre, there will be plenty to look at. The is the central square, and when the new city wall was constructed in 1350, it became an important trading quarter.

The Bergkwartier area is a small part of Deventer centred around the Bergkerk, a church placed on a hillock that came into being around the 12th century. The yearly markets ushered in a new age of prosperity for Deventer. Newcomers settled in the newest part of town, Bergkwartier, which is situated between the Brink and the harbor. The prosperity ended in 1570, when Deventer became the focal point of various wars. New defensive works were created to protect those in the new part of town, which later helped to secure the city from unwanted company. This spelled the end of the expansion of the district, as tearing down the defense works to expand the city was forbidden. The traders that came until 1570 left, leaving Bergkwartier and all the heritage that can be seen today.

Today, after many years of restoration, many old buildings have lost their function as warehouses and have become living quarters, shops, taverns, restaurants and offices. A lot of old sights were restored, as some were in decay or damaged by various wars. Now the Bergkwartier is one of the main tourist attractions in Deventer because of its rich history and very open character. The Noordenbergkwartier is a very old quarter west of it.



Beyond the city centre:

Do

 * Go up the bell tower in the Lebuinus-church for some amazing views as well as the bullet holes in the walls outside.
 * Take a walk on the river promenade, if it's not high tide. The park at is another nice place for a walk, it being the oldest park in the Netherlands, its first mention of usage as a park stemming from 1578. Another iconic park of Deventer is the Rijsterborgherpark (listed in ) to the north-west of the train station. Its lay-out is largely based upon the shape of the old city defence works.
 * Football: Go-Ahead Eagles play soccer in Eredivisie, the country's top tier. Their home ground De Adelaarshorst (meaning "Eagles Nest", capacity 10,000) is 1 km northeast of town centre.
 * Football: Go-Ahead Eagles play soccer in Eredivisie, the country's top tier. Their home ground De Adelaarshorst (meaning "Eagles Nest", capacity 10,000) is 1 km northeast of town centre.

Events
Deventer hosts a number of large events every year, attracting many thousands of domestic and international visitors. See also the book market mentioned in the buy section.


 * Deventer Boekenmarkt (Book market). The first Sunday of August, the biggest European book market is held in the city center.
 * Deventer Boekenmarkt (Book market). The first Sunday of August, the biggest European book market is held in the city center.
 * Deventer Boekenmarkt (Book market). The first Sunday of August, the biggest European book market is held in the city center.

Buy
Every first Sunday of the months, shops in the city centre open their doors between 12:00 and 17:00. Thursday evening they stay open late, until 21:00.

Deventer has a good variety of boutiques and stores, including all the common Dutch brand stores and dozens of small, individual shops and galleries. The large chain stores are mostly situated in the Smedenstraat, Lange Bisschopsstraat, Korte Bisschopstraat and the Engestraat. If you're more interested in the small scale businesses, make sure to stop by at the Tourist Information Office to pick up its free walking route along some 75 speciality stores and boutique shops. The Walstraat and the Bergkwartier are good places for antique shopping.

Deventer is moderately famous for its bookstores. Most will be in Dutch, but there might be a rare find somewhere. Every first Sunday of August, the city centre hosts the largest open-air bookmarket in western Europe. Some 6 km long, due to the 875 or so book stalls, this large market attracts up to 130,000 visitors. The market is hard to overlook when it is held, but it tends to be centred around the riverfront (Welle, Onder de Linden, Kapjeswelle) the old city gates (Vispoort, Zandpoort) as well as the larger squares in the city centre (Nieuwe Markt, Brink). A booklet with some information about the book market, including information on vendors, an overview map and specialisations of vendors can also be purchased for €2 at most bookshops and the tourist office (VVV). The booklet, named the Boekenmarktboekje, is a must-have if you come to the market looking for any specific kind of literature. The market can be overwhelming because of the sheer offer in stalls, but information stalls are dotted throughout if you need help finding your way about.

In the way of bookshops, antiquities and similar shops, you will be able to find several in the following streets:
 * Nieuwstraat: At numbers 29, 37 and 38, you will find a antiquary and bookshop (Papyrus), bookshop (ABC) and comic book shop (Knibbel) respectively.
 * Kleine Overstraat: Features all sorts of dedicated shops. Not only does it have five bookshops, those being Alternote (30-32), Das Gute ist immmer da! (33), Gedrukt & Geknipt voor U (50 and 83), De Kameleon (81) and De Voet (69), it is also home to many (used) clothes shops, a (board)game shop (Koning Willem, 24-26) and record store (Variaworld, 8).
 * Near the intersection of the Lange Bisschopstraat and Proosdijpassage, you will find both another bookshop (Broekhuis), as well as three record shops (Plato, Variaworld and Walk-In).
 * The Walstraat is also dotted with small shops, including several bookshops, but moreso antiquaries, as well as several home goods stores, a toy store and candy shop.

Eat
The city's most famous foodstuff is "Deventer Koek", which can be bought in the Koekhuisje (Cake House) at Brink 84, which is easily identified by its two Royal Denominations, featured on the north wall of the building. The company producing the cakes, Jb. Bussink, has been doing so since 1593, and has served many prominent guests over its lifetime. The cake is in fact so important to Deventer, that it lends its nickname of "Koekstad" (Cake City) to this very cake.

Most restaurants in Deventer are found along the Brink, Grote Kerkhof en Nieuwe Markt (around the Lebuïnuskerk), as well as the roads between the two, most notably the Grote- and Kleine Overstraat, which connect to the Brink directly west from the weighing house (or to your right when facing the Waag).

Drink
There are countless establishments throughout the city centre. In summer, when the weather allows, the outdoor terraces at De Brink and the Grote Kerkhof are especially packed and buzzing with life.



Sleep






Connect
As of July 2022, Deventer has 5G from all Dutch carriers.

Go next

 * A ten-minute drive from Deventer, Zutphen and Apeldoorn (home to a royal palace open for the public) both have pleasant historic centres too. Zwolle (30 min) and Arnhem (1 hr) are other options with the same kind of qualities.
 * If you're rather looking for some nature, head to Hoge Veluwe National Park.