Skip to content

Dutch Medieval Hanseatic City: Kampen

This once fortified medieval city is located in the north eastern part of the Netherlands in the Overijssel province. Kampen has one of the best preserved old town centres in the country. Not many international tourists have discovered this city just yet.

The Nieuwetoren (New Tower) in the city centre.

Busy shopping street on a Saturday, the Oudestraat. At the end of the street is the Bovenkerk (Church of St. Nicholas).

Medieval Kampen
Tourism website: IJssel Delta – Kampen

Kampen is an old Hanseatic city, which is a medieval economic federation of trading cities in Northern Europe and the Baltic Region. Because of its location on the mouth of the river Ijssel, the city was able to trade with economies passing through the Rhine River, Zuiderzee and towards the Baltic Sea.

Nowadays Kampen enjoys being a laid back small city, reliving its Hanseatic past every three years with the sailing of old ships festival. About 50,000+ people live here.

I have been wanting to visit Kampen all these years but never made it here in my decade of living in this country, until last year October when I visited Bru who now lives there during the weekend.

Bru and I did a little stroll in the city after filling our stomachs with typical Dutch treats: haring and kibbeling at the Saturday market in the centre.

I’d like to come back here and spend some more time checking out the lovely old architecure and the remaining three beautiful city gates that still stands in the city.

Typical Dutch architecture, brick building, step-gable roof facade design and wooden shutters.

There are many cafes with outdoor terraces on the Oudestraat main shopping street.

I always appreciate it when cities put tourist directional signs like this.

Kampen Old City Hall.

The Netherlands is a tourist or traveller’s dream, being one of the countries with the largest network of efficient and effective public transportation interconnecting cities, towns and villages with buses, trams and trains. However, there is no direct train from Amsterdam Centraal (and Utrecht as well) to Kampen. You can get there by train of course but with two train changes, at Amersfoort and then at Zwolle, taking about 1.5 hours in total travelling time.

The easiest way to get to Kampen is of course by car. It is about 1+ hour from Amsterdam via A6 and and 1 hour+ as well from Utrecht via A28.

Here on Google Maps:

Utrecht to Kampen. You can move the map with your mouse, as weill as zoom it in and zoom it out by clicking the + and – signs on the lower right hand side corner.

I should come back here and have coffee at this cafe restaurant (called Cafe ‘t Ponton) on the river IJssel. On a sunny day of course.

Old ships in Kampen harbour.

Bru and moi on the river IJssel. It was a lovely sunny Saturday in Kampen. We got lucky.

The stadsbrug (city bridge).

The NS (Nationale Spoorwegen) – Kampen Train Station just across the rver IJssel from the old town accessible via the stadsbrug.

Everyone owns a bike in the Netherlands. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

The Broederpoort, one of the three remaining still standing medieval city gates of this once fortified city.

The Cellebroderspoort is another city gate. I did not get to take a picture of the third gate, the stunning Koornmarktspoort. To see a picture of this, go here: Koornmarkstpoort

Art Nouveau facade of a shop. This influence must have come from the Hanseatic Period days because of its trading relations with the Baltics and Russia. They are locally called, ‘frescoes of the middle class’. 

If you ever find yourself in the Netherlands, there is one thing you will notice when you walk around a Dutch neighborhood — the Dutch tend to decorate well their personal surroundings, including seeing beautiful well-maintained gardens and lots of flower and plants hanging from windows and beside doors.

Kampen, I will be back. Right Bru? =)

Travel Period: October 2013
Destination: Kampen (Overijssel), The Netherlands

Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *