Wijndragerstoren

Wijndragerstoren rises from Zwolle’s old city wall between the Thorbeckegracht canal and Broerenkerkplein. Built between 1475 and 1500, the late-medieval tower strengthened the city beside the Nije Graven moat.

Its semi-circular upper section carries a walkway lined with pointed arches, while sandstone blocks retain loopholes for arrows and firearms. Behind it, the surviving wall walkway traces the route guards once patrolled. Cannon warfare later brought a lower roof, and a replacement completed in 2017 now covers the older structure. The tower also housed Zwolle’s appointed wine carrier, who managed the city’s wine supply and operated the goods crane. Centuries later, Bergia used the partly enclosed building as a grain silo, before restoration in the 1970s revealed it again beside the Pelsertoren and city wall. Today, hospitality businesses occupy the interior.

Look across toward Noordereiland, where five bastions reinforced Zwolle’s defences during the Eighty Years’ War. The visible loopholes and pointed arches preserve a compact view of military, commercial and everyday city life.