Deventer City Walls

Deventer was a walled city for most of its history, and although the stone defences have largely disappeared, their line still shapes the old centre. Deventer is one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands, a Hanseatic trading city on the IJssel that became wealthy in the Middle Ages and fortified itself accordingly. Walls and gates protected the merchants, the churches and the markets, and the moat and earthworks that went with them formed a ring around the town. Over the nineteenth century, as military technology changed and the town grew, most of the walls were taken down, and what is left is a mix of fragments, green belts and streets that follow the old course.

The best way to appreciate it is to walk the line. Along much of the former perimeter there are paths, parks and stretches of water that mark the position of the old fortifications, and the route gives a different view of the city from the busy market square and the riverfront. The Bergpoort, the Hill Gate, is the best known surviving gate, a tall brick structure from the Middle Ages that stands at the end of a shopping street and gives a sense of the scale of the old defences. Other fragments of the walls and towers survive in places, and information signs help you identify them.

The path of the walls separates the historic core from the newer districts, and it is a good example of how a Dutch town grew in rings. Inside lies the compact medieval street plan, with the Brink and the Grote Kerkhof, the Lebuïnuskerk and the narrow lanes, and outside lie the nineteenth and twentieth century streets. The green belts that replaced the walls are used by residents for walking and cycling, and in spring and summer they are pleasant for a stroll.

The walk can be combined with other sights. The IJssel River Promenade, the Bijzondere Collectie, St. Agatha's Monastery and the Deventer Light Festival in December are all part of the city's attractions, and the town is known for its book market on the first Sunday of August and for Deventer koek, a spiced cake. The Hanzehof in nearby Zutphen is another Hanseatic link. Everything is within walking distance.

The route is free and open at all times. It suits history lovers, walkers and cyclists who enjoy tracing the outline of a lost fortification. Allow one to two hours for the full loop, less if you only visit the Bergpoort.