I knew one thing for certain when I planned my trip to the east of the Netherlands in August. I wanted to visit the Hanseatic city of Zutphen. The fact that my friend and I also visited Veluwezoom and the waterfall in Loenen were actually side dishes to the main show. What’s there to see in Zutphen you might wonder? Well, only one of the remaining chained libraries in the world. I’ll tell you what that is in this post.

Zutphen Guided Walking Tour

Before taking you to the chained library, I would like to let you know that there’s a great way to explore Zutphen. You could walk through the city by yourself or you could join a guided tour which is organised by the tourist centre in the central square of the city.

It’s a great way to learn more about the city of Zutphen, one of the first cities in the region. The guide will take you through courtyards, down narrow streets, and past historic buildings and unique locations. The tour will be approximately two hours, but it’s well worth the time to learn more about the history of the city and its residents. There’s no need to book this tour in advance as you can just join the group from the shop (VVV).

Museumwinkel Het Snoepje
The first stop of this tour is already quite a gem. There’s a candy store in a historical building which used to be a tax firm.

The candy store in itself is not really the special sight. It’s actually the man who has set it up. He loves collecting things. Anything. When you enter the store, you’ll see a plethora of items all in different shapes and sizes. The first thing I noticed were the different kind of fire truck toys. There’s so much more because he has a whole library in the back where he stores his collections.

He makes his money by selling candy. It’s one of those proper old time candy stores, which you only see in movies nowadays. That’s still not the real kicker though. The real kicker is the ancient “jukebox” he has. This music player plays a huge disk. It’s one of a kind and as such really special. He couldn’t wait to let us hear the sounds of it. He’s incredibly proud of his store and rightly so.

City Wall & Gate
The city wall dates back to 1200. Most of the gates are lost, but one is still standing and it’s called Drogenap gate. This gate used to close its doors at 10pm. It goes without saying that that doesn’t happen anymore, but a musical tone still goes off to indicate that it’s 10pm. Imagine living next to the gate….

Hofje
Ok, this header might require some explaining. A hofje is a Dutch word for a courtyard with houses around it. These courtyards are in existence since the Middle Ages. That’s why you’ll find them mostly in the older cities like Zutphen. The city of Zutphen still has 8 of these hofjes.

A hofje provided housing for elderly people. They were privately funded, and served as a form of social security. Hofjes are usually built in a U-shape with a yard or garden in the middle, and a gate as entrance.

Make no mistake, back in 1300 elderly people were the people who were over 30. Therefore, even I would be fit for one of these houses. We visited Bornhof in the city centre which has since been repurposed and now actually looks like a nice place to live.

Walburgis Kerk
The final stop of the tour is Walburgis Kerk. This church used to be Roman but has since been given a Gothic face lift. It’s an interesting church to roam around in.

Librije Chained Library

Even more so because this church contains the aforementioned chained library. This library dates to the 16th century and not much has been altered since.

It is one of the few surviving chained libraries. When libraries were opened to the public in the Middle Ages, the books were locked in place to keep them from being stolen. The books in this library are still in there original position. You can walk along the lecterns and picture yourself reading one of the huge leather-bound tomes.

This is not the only interesting fact of the library. If you keep your eyes on the floor, you’ll find the devil’s footprints. At least, that’s what the urban myth would like us to believe. This devil supposedly stalked a monk who ate chicken at Lent.

Even if you’re not a fan of libraries. If you’re in the neighbourhood of Zutphen, do yourself a favour and check out the chained library. The only way to visit it is through guided tour, which will include a short tour of the church.

Conclusion

Zutphen is what a perfect city for a day tour in the Netherlands in my opinion. Besides the sights I mentioned above you can also organise a boat trip along the IJsel river. There are also plenty of art galleries and museums to explore, which we didn’t have time for this day. It seems to be a nice city for shopping as well with its condensed city centre, and it has more than enough restaurants and cafes to choose from.