European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Birds Eye View of Zwolle s rooftops shows the pattern of the old town s streets. View of the downtown. Visitors can climb the 240 Steps of its winding staircase for a nominal fee of 1 Guilder 54 cents. And fridays from 11 . To noon the downtown rings with music from its Carillon. In medieval times a Small canal allowed merchant vessels to sail right up to the Crote Markt. Today the waterway is a Road Melk Markt. Other noteworthy sights include the 19th-Century Palace of Justice the provincial Overijssel museum the 15th-Century City Hall and several of the City Gates. The most impressive of the Gates is the Sasse poort. With its Spiky gothic towers it dominates the Southeast Corner of the old town. Though its historical landmarks dominate the cityscape Zwolle is much More than a collection of attractive old buildings. It is a vibrant i it with a robust Economy driven by clean industries Foremost among these Are printing and graphics. Its Eek it cattle Market a the largest in the Netherlands a Mir pm a Rcpt Strong links to the surrounding am cultural  a. The Many shops , galleries and i Quot Antiques Are the Backbone of a Healths  a Tor or in Ting shoppers travel Erst tips Zwolle is located in North Central Netherlands. From the South take Highway a-50 North from Apeldoorn to a-28. Since most of Zwolle s downtown area is a pedestrian zone visitors should not try to drive into the City Center. There Are Many parking lots around the Edge of the old town. Nearly All Are less than a five minute walk from the main Square. Everything within the old town is within easy walking distance. The Tower of the Church of our lady is open from May to october 11 . To 4 . During the off season entry can be arranged by stopping at Osse Markt 119 or calling ahead Telephone 38-227275. Entry fee is 1 Guilder about 54 cents. The tourist office is in the City Center near St. Michael s Church. For More information Contact vow Zwolle Grote Kerk Plein 14, 8011 pm Zwolle Netherlands Telephone 38-213900. If calling from outside the Netherlands be sure to add the country code As is True throughout the Netherlands members of the tourist office staff speak English. A Norm Zeigler from throughout the province. Quot Zwolle is a Central shopping place for 400,000 people Quot Vrielink says. Among the shops of interest to tourists Are Many offering China and porcelain. According to Vrielink most visitors come to Zwolle for three main reasons Quot to buy something to visit the museums and to see the  Quot we also have Many events Quot he says. Among these is the weekly Friday open air Market but the biggest is the annual Street festival held on the third saturday in August. It attracts upwards of 60,000 people with music food exhibits and other activities and lasts from Early evening until 3 the following morning. Zwolle has More than 40 Good restaurants offering an International mix of cuisine from greek and italian to chinese indonesian and dutch. There Are also Many excellent cafes and pastry shops. For Young singles the tourist office recommends the music Hall a Ray disco. Vrielink acknowledges that Zwolle is not Amsterdam or the Hague. But it is he says an appealing Small City with Quot with Many different  above moored boats line a Zwolle canal left a narrow survivor of the town s old fortification. April 9, 1992 stripes Magazine