Kampen (Overijssel)

Nl-Kampen.ogg is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands.

Population centres

Grafhorst, 's-Heerenbroek, IJsselmuiden, Kampen, Kamperveen, Wilsum and Zalk.

The city of Kampen

The city of Kampen is situated along the river IJssel close to the point where it flows into the IJsselmeer (formerly the "Zuiderzee").

Kampen received city rights in 1236. Having been a member of the Hanseatic League it used to be an important port. The population of the city as of 2001 was 32,960. Kampen has one of the best preserved old town centres of the Netherlands.

Famous people of Kampen

Hendrick Avercamp (1585, Amsterdam, † 1634, Kampen), nicknamed “de Stomme van Kampen” (The Mute of Kampen). Important 17th century painter of, predominantly, winterscapes. Serves as a character in various books by Thea Beckman. A street in Kampen is named after him (Avercampstraat), as well as a grand café.
Dr. Willem Johan Kolff, (14 februari 1911, Leiden) inventor of the artificial kidney. A street in Kampen is named after him (Dr. Kolfflaan).
Jaap Stam (1972, Kampen), famous football player. Played for the Dutch national team, and also at the following clubs: F.C. Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden, Willem II, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Lazio Roma. He started playing football as a child for the local football club D.O.S. Kampen.
Henk van Ulsen (born: 1927, Kampen), actor. Played in many teleplays and television series like "Dagboek van een Herdershond", "Briefgeheim", "Pension Hommeles", "Willem van Oranje" and many others.
Petra van Staveren (1966, Kampen), swimmer who won the golden medal in the 100 metres breaststroke at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

Grafhorst

Grafhorst (population as of 2001: 770) is a small town about 3 km north of Kampen. It received city rights in 1333.

Wilsum

Wilsum (population as of 2001: 710) is a small town located on the river IJssel, about 4km southeast of Kampen. It received city rights in 1331. Wilsum is most known for its church, which was built in 1050 and as such the oldest church in the province Overijssel. Thanks to several restorations (the last one being in 1982) the church is still in a very good state.

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