ZWOLLE

gemeente (municipality) and capital, Overijssel provincie (province), north central Netherlands, on the Zwarte Water (river). Chartered in 1230, it was a member of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages and a stronghold until its ramparts were destroyed in 1674 during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. It is now a commercial centre and rail junction at the intersection of the northern and eastern Dutch canal systems. Industries include shipbuilding and the manufacture of metal products, chemicals, and building materials. Notable buildings include the Grote Kerk (St. Michael's Church), the Church of Our Lady, and the town hall, all dating from the 15th century. The Sassenpoort (gate; 1408) is almost all that remains of the medieval ramparts; the Bethlehem Church (1308, 1324) was part of an early convent. The nearby Sint Agnietenberg (Mount St. Agnes) is the historical site of the Augustinian monastery where Thomas Kempis, the priest and devotional writer, spent most of his life. Pop. (1991 est.) 95,572.