Stedelijk Museum Zutphen is a cultural history museum which collects the history of Zutphen and the Graafschap region (the current Achterhoek region) and shows it in an original way. Discover ‘The Story of Zutphen’, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, by means of special objects from the museum, archaeological, and archive collections.
THE COLLECTION
Descend to the vaulted medieval cellar and step into the turbulent history of the place that was to become the city of Zutphen. A major event in this development was the attack by Vikings in 882, which is shown as a crime scene. During a walk through the ages, highlights and low points alternate. Such as the era of the Hanseatic League – which gave Zutphen the nickname ‘The Richest’ – and the violent Eighty Years’ War. The glitter and glamour of the nobility of the province of Gelderland is shown, including not only the famous silvercollection made in Zutphen, but also the ravages of the Second World War. Especially striking are the objects that are among the oldest in the Netherlands, such as the ‘oldest watch’ (the Zutphen quadrant from 1300), the ‘oldest comic’ (the ‘Letter of Complaint’ from 1493) and the ‘oldest photograph’ from 1839.
