Dutch IJssel river city with a medieval centre and centuries-old Deventer Koek baking tradition
Deventer is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, sitting on the banks of the IJssel river in the province of Overijssel. It has a beautifully preserved medieval centre, a strong literary tradition, and one of the best-known food specialities in the country: the Deventer Koek, a spiced honey cake that has been baked here since the fifteenth century. You can buy it at Bussink on the Brink, which has been selling it since 1593.
The old town is compact and rewarding to explore on foot. The Brink, the main square, is one of the largest and most handsome in the Netherlands, lined with medieval and Renaissance buildings and anchored by the Waag (weigh house), which dates from 1528. The Bergkerk, up on the hill above the river, offers fine views. Deventer's literary credentials are strong -- it was a centre of the Brethren of the Common Life, the religious movement that educated Erasmus, and today it hosts one of the largest outdoor book markets in Europe each August.
The city has a lively cultural scene for its size, with good restaurants and cafes along the riverfront and in the old centre. The Speelgoedmuseum (toy museum) and the Museum de Waag are both worth a visit. Deventer is easily reached by train from Amsterdam, Utrecht, or Zwolle, and makes a fine day trip or a pleasant overnight stop on a tour of the eastern Netherlands.
Guide
Eating Out
Deventer eats notably well for a city of its size. The combination of a substantial student population (Saxion University of Applied Sciences is here), a long bourgeois food tradition, and the riverside location has produced a more interesting restaurant scene than you find in most provincial Dutch capitals.
The riverfront Welle has the highest concentration of cafes and brasseries with terraces, ideal in summer. The Bergkwartier hides several of the better small restaurants in the narrow streets around the church. Local specialities to look out for include IJsselzalm (smoked river salmon), the inevitable Deventer koek, and Salland mustard. Several established mid-range names — Bij de Tijd on the Walstraat, Hoogeland, Sandrah — are reliable. For the inexpensive end, the cafes around the Brink do solid kroketten and broodjes.
Guide
Getting There
Deventer is on the main rail line between Amsterdam and the German border, with regular Intercity trains and very fast connections to the rest of the Randstad. From Amsterdam Centraal, the journey is around 1 hour 15 minutes, with one or two trains an hour. From Utrecht it is 45 minutes. From Schiphol airport there are direct trains roughly every half hour.
The station is on the western edge of the old town, a 5-10 minute walk from the Brink. By road, the A1 motorway (Amsterdam-Berlin) runs directly past the city. There is no airport in Deventer; the regional hub is Amsterdam Schiphol, although Münster-Osnabrück across the border in Germany is also reachable. The old town is compact enough that, once inside the walls, you will walk everywhere.
