Zwolle

Sister cities

• Lünen
• Vologda
• Kaliningrad

History

Archaeological findings indicate that the area surrounding Zwolle has been inhabited since ancient times. A woodhenge found in the Zwolle-Zuid suburb in 1993 was dated to the Bronze Age period. During the Roman era, the area was inhabited by Salian Franks. The modern city was founded around 800 CE by Frisian merchants and troops of Charlemagne. Previous spellings of its name include the identically pronounced Suolle, which means "hill" (cf. the English cognate verb "to swell"). This refers to an incline in the landscape between the four rivers surrounding the city, IJssel, Vecht, Aa and Zwarte Water. The hill was the only piece of land that would remain dry during the frequent floodings of the rivers. Zwolle was established on that incline. A document mentions the existence of a parish church dedicated to St Michael. That church, the Grote of Sint Michaëlskerk (St. Michael's church), was renovated in the first half of the 15th century and exists to this day. The church contains a richly carved pulpit, the work of Adam Straes van Weilborch (about 1620), some good carving, and an exquisite Baroque organ from 1721 designed by master organ builder Arp Schnitger and completed by his sons Franz Caspar and Johann Georg. On 31 August 1230, the bishop of Utrecht granted Zwolle city rights. Zwolle became a member of the Hanseatic league in 1294, and in 1361 joined the war between the Hanseatic League and Valdemar IV of Denmark. In the 1370 Treaty of Stralsund that ended the war, Zwolle was awarded a vitte, a trade colony, in Scania, then part of Denmark. Zwolle's golden age came in the 15th century. Between 1402 and 1450, the city's Gross Regional Product multiplied by about six. In July 1324 and October 1361, regional noblemen set fire to Zwolle. In the 1324 fire, only nine…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,360
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  17,726
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,392
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,555
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,198
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  16,189
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,613
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15,515

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2011-09-08
  3 km ENE of Heijen, Netherlands
• M 3.8 — 2006-08-08
  1 km E of Baflo, Netherlands
• M 2.8 — 2006-05-09
  7 km SE of Velen, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2006-03-02
  4 km NW of Klein Reken, Germany
• M 2.9 — 2005-11-20
  2 km ESE of Horstmar, Germany
• M 3 — 2004-06-21
  3 km NE of Dwingeloo, Netherlands