Deventer City Tour

A short walking tour through the Hanze city of Deventer in The Netherlands.

A short walking tour through the Hanze city of Deventer in The Netherlands.

Deventer is a Dutch city in the province of Overijssel. The city is the capital of the municipality of the same name and is located on the IJssel river. In the Middle Ages, Deventer was part of the Hanseatic League, an important northern German trade network.

Deventer is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. The place is already mentioned in 9th century sources of the diocese of Utrecht. A charter from 877 mentions seven farms in Daventre port (the port of Deventer). In 952, Deventer is mentioned as a city in a deed of donation from King Otto I. After the place had acquired more and more rights and privileges over time, it received the municipal lands from Emperor Henry V in 1123. This is considered by historians as the moment when the residents acquired city rights. The city has the oldest stone house, the oldest walking park and, with the Athenaeum library, also the oldest scientific library in the Netherlands.

The city of Deventer had 81,545 inhabitants on January 1, 2021, making it by far the largest center of the municipality, which has a total of more than 100,000 inhabitants.