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 buildings escaped the flames. in Blaeu's "Toonneel der Steden", 1652 Zwolle was also, with
Deventer, one of the centers of the
Brethren of the Common Life, a
monastic movement. from Zwolle, on a slight eminence called the Agnietenberg (hill of St Agnes), once stood the Augustinian convent in which
Thomas à Kempis spent the greatest part of his life and died (in 1471). In
World War II, Zwolle was single-handedly liberated from the Nazis by Canadian soldier
Léo Major. He was made an
honorary citizen of Zwolle on 14 April 2005, the 60th
anniversary of his liberating of the city. He also has a street named after him, Leo Majorlaan.
21st century In 2004, Zwolle's
De Librije restaurant was honored with 3 stars by
Michelin Guide; as of 2018, it is one of only three restaurants so honored in the entire country. In 2023,
Tewelde Goitom, an Eritrean convicted in Ethiopia of migrant smuggling, kidnapping in Sinai and human trafficking appeared at a pretrial hearing in Zwolle, which made international headlines.
Blauwvingers Citizens of Zwolle are colloquially known as
Blauwvingers (Bluefingers). According to legend, the name dates back to 1682, when the St Michael's church tower collapsed. The authorities were strapped for cash and saw no option but to sell the
church bells to the neighbouring city
Kampen. To make sure that Kampen would not make too much profit from the deal, the local authorities asked a high price for the church bells. Kampen accepted, but when the bells arrived it became clear that they were too damaged to be played. In revenge, Kampen paid in copper coins of four
duiten (the equivalent of two-and-a-half
cents). Zwolle distrusted Kampen and wanted to be sure they truly paid the entire price. After the meticulous counting of the vast number of copper coins, their fingers had turned blue. In reality, the name Blauwvinger stems from 1521, when the governors of Zwolle broke the oath of loyalty they made to the Duke of Gelre. The name Blauwvinger refers to the raised fingers with which the governors had promised their loyalty to the Duke at his inauguration. At that time, Zwolle and Kampen were embroiled in a dispute over toll collection on the IJssel River. Zwolle initially aligned with the Duke of Gelre, Charles of Egmont, but eventually returned to the Bishop of Utrecht. During this period of political unrest, Duke Charles of Gelre was captured when he entered Zwolle. Ultimately, he was allowed to depart under the condition that Zwolle would retain its independence. The name Blauwvingers stems from the fact that the residents committed perjury twice, first to the bishop and then to the duke. ==Sites==