Zutphen City Walls (Stadsgracht)

Zutphen lies where the small river Berkel meets the IJssel, in the east of Gelderland, and it is one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands. It received city rights in the Middle Ages and became a prosperous trading town, a member of the Hanseatic League, with a harbour on the IJssel and a market that served the surrounding countryside. Like all medieval towns it was surrounded by walls and a moat, built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and strengthened over the following ones, and the line of these defences still shapes the town today.

The moat, known as the Stadsgracht, is the most visible part of the old fortifications. Over centuries, as the walls lost their military use, the ditch was turned into a green belt of water, trees and lawns, with paths for walking and cycling. Some sections still hold water, giving reflections of the old walls and towers, while others have been softened into gardens. The result is a pleasant ring of greenery around the historic centre that makes it easy to see how the town was laid out. Sections of the medieval wall and several towers and gates remain, standing at intervals along the circuit.

The history of the walls includes dramatic moments. During the Eighty Years' War, Zutphen was captured by the Spanish in 1572, and the population suffered terribly, and the town changed hands several times in the following years. In 1586, a battle was fought outside the walls in which the English poet and soldier Sir Philip Sidney was mortally wounded, an event remembered in the town. These stories add colour to a stroll along the ramparts, and plaques and information boards explain the details.

Inside the line of the walls the old town is a dense network of lanes, many of them with fine merchants' houses, warehouses and churches. The tower of the Walburgiskerk is the landmark of the skyline, and the church holds a medieval chained library. The market square is a short walk from the moat, and cafes and shops fill the streets nearby. The botanical garden and the parks along the Stadsgracht offer places to sit.

The moat path is open at all times and free. It is accessible to pedestrians and cyclists and is particularly pretty in spring and summer, when the trees are in leaf and the flowers are in bloom. The walk suits history lovers, families and photographers, and it takes an hour or so. Zutphen is reached by train from Arnhem and Deventer.