Travel information for Kampen in Netherlands - EnjoyYourWorld.com

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Kampen

About Kampen

Kampen is a city in the central part of the Netherlands, located on the beautiful river IJssel at the point where it flows into the IJsselmeer (formerly the "Zuiderzee"). Kampen has one of the most beautiful river fronts of the Netherlands and a historic inner city that has retained its medieval character. Kampen received city rights in 1236 and was a member of the Hanseatic League and a centre of cargo trade. Kampen is worth while you visit with almost 500 monuments, characteristic alleys and little streets with Jugendstil and the Stijl influenced wall advertisements, dating back to around 1930 and various little museums, shops and galleries.

Local highlights

Explore the city!

See the New Tower with its 47 clocks. During the summer months a cow is hung from this tower. A sign the fun weeks are about to start.
Visit the Stedelijk Museum, housed in an impressive gothic building.In the back of the house of the Stedelijk Museum you can also find a horse mill and a pearling mill
See the medieval wall that recently has regained one of its historical functions: it has become part of the impressive levee system in the city against the rising waters in the Rhine/IJssel delta
See Kamper “Kogge”-a historic copy of the ship that was used by skippers in the 14th and 15th century on routes to the Baltic sea, the German northern coast, England, France and Holland.
See the Old Kampen Hospital “Stichting Engelenberg”, a brick and stone masterpiece by the well-known Dutch architect Kromhout, where the first clinical dialysis ever in the world was performed and from where it spread worldwide. See a copy of the rotating drum artificial kidney and the original kidney room.
Visit the Kamper Tobacco Museum where you will see the longest cigar in the world.
See d’Olde Zwarver, the only windmill left in Kampen

Highlights in the vicinity

Explore the rich cultural heritage of environment of Kampen, such as

Schokland used to be an island in the Zuiderzee that stuck out only slightly above the water. Because of heavy storms and erosion in the 18th and 19th centuries, habitation eventually became impossible. On expence of King William III the island was evacuated in 1859. When the Noordoostpolder was pumped dry Schokland became an "island" on dry land. In 1995 it was declared world heritage by the UNESCO. At present Schokland is a beautiful destination for those who like walking, archeology, geology, nature, cultural history and the cultivation of Old Dutch crops.
Wilsum (population as of 2001: 710) is a small town located on the river IJssel, about 4km southeast of Kampen. It received city rights in 1331. Wilsum is most known for its church, which was built in 1050 and as such the oldest church in the province Overijssel. Thanks to several restorations (the last one being in 1982) the church is still in a very good state.

Good to know

No. of inhabitants: About 50 Thousand
Timezone: UTC +1

Emergency tel. number: 112

Local transport

Try renting a bike and enjoy this flat country with its many dikes and canals. Various cycling tours lead you along the waterfront and the river IJssel with its beautiful flora and fauna.
Taxi
Bus

Inbound transport

Trains: the train station is right across the old city centre. Good connections to Zwolle and Amsterdam.
Boat: cruises take you from Kampen to almost any place in The Netherlands. Try the combi boat-bike tours cross the river delta of The Netherlands. Or you can take a cruise on the rivers IJssel and Rhine to Germany and Switzerland.