Zwolle is the capital of the Dutch province of Overijssel and also Hanzestad. Zwolle is located on the Black Water and the Overijsselse Vecht and is connected to the IJssel via the Zwolle IJssel Canal. The city is located in the IJsseldelta region. The municipality has about 124,000 inhabitants and is the second largest city in Overijssel, after the city of Enschede. Zwolle has an area of 111.33 km².
Zwolle is now known both nationally and internationally as the greenest municipality of the Netherlands. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the municipality won the prize for the greenest municipality of the Netherlands. This after many efforts made by the municipality. For example, in Zwolle a special maize theme that takes into account ecology, there are many parks in Zwolle and surrounding areas and combats the weed of the municipality with environmentally friendly means. In 2006 Zwolle was also voted the greenest city in Europe.
Some recurring events in Zwolle include the Overijssel Liberation Festival, the Zwolle International Guitar Festival and The Color Run.
In Zwolle many ancient and monumental buildings have been preserved. There is an active historical association dedicated to the conservation and reconstruction of old buildings and cityscapes. As a result, Zwolle has a well-preserved old city center within its canals. The city center is a protected cityscape. Some examples of interesting sights in Zwolle include the Basilica of Our Lady of Heaven, the Pepper, the Great or Saint Michael Church, the Dominican Church, the Broken Church, the Passion Flower and Windesheimer mills, the Sassen, Diezer and Stone gates and many Bridges such as the Ijsselbrug, Stenen Pijp and Mastenbroekerbrug.
