One of the last remaining chained libraries in the world, housed in a chapter room of the Walburgiskerk. The Librije dates from 1564 and has been in continuous use since — the original oak lecterns, the iron chains, and many of the books are exactly where they were placed over 450 years ago. The room is small, quiet, and extraordinarily atmospheric.
The collection includes medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and theological works, all still chained to their reading desks. The light falls through leaded windows onto the worn wooden floor. Visits are by guided tour, usually available through the tourist office or the church. This is genuinely one of the rarest historical interiors in the Netherlands — fewer people visit Zutphen's Librije in a year than pass through the Rijksmuseum in a morning, and the experience is incomparably more intimate.