Kampen City Walls

Kampen was one of the most important Hanseatic towns on the IJssel, and its medieval walls and gates are among the best preserved in the east of the Netherlands. The town grew rich in the Middle Ages from trade with the Baltic and the North Sea, and its merchants built a strong defensive circuit to protect their warehouses, churches and houses. Over the centuries, much of the wall was taken down or altered, but several of the gates survive, with fragments of the walls and the moat, and together they define the shape of the old centre, which is still visible on a map as a compact half-circle against the river.

The most striking survivals are the city gates. The Koornmarktspoort, the Corn Market Gate, is a tall brick gate with turrets and decorative details, built in the fourteenth century and elaborated later, which is one of the best known sights in Kampen, and the Cellebroederspoort and the Broederpoort are other gates that give a feeling for how the town was entered. Gatehouses like these were not only military structures but also status symbols, built to impress those who came to the town and to collect tolls. Wall paintings and sculptural details survive in places, and a guided city tour often focuses on the gates, the churches and the paintings that illustrate the city's history.

The best way to explore is on foot. Paths along the line of the old walls link the gates and give views of the roofs, the towers and the river, and the walk is easy and flat, with benches and green spaces along the route. The old centre is a network of pedestrian streets, making it simple to move between the walls, the churches and the market squares. The Grote of Sint-Nicolaaskerk, the Bovenkerk, is the main church and a Gothic landmark, the Nieuwe Toren is a seventeenth-century tower, and the Stadsbrug, the bridge across the IJssel, leads to the far bank.

Guided tours, which last about an hour and a half and are available for small groups, are a good way to learn about the history and to see details that are easy to miss, and visitors can ask for extra attention to gates, churches or wall paintings. The walls and gates can be seen at any time, and entry is free, though some gates may have limited access. The Kampen Botanical Garden, the harbour and the bike rental points are nearby.

The walls suit history lovers, photographers and walkers. Allow an hour or two for a stroll, and combine it with a visit to the Bovenkerk and a ride along the river.