Zwolle, capital of the province of Overijssel, lies on the Zwarte Water (Black Water), a small stream which flows 20km/12.5mi northwest to join the Zwarte Meer, an inlet on the IJsselmeer, a few miles east of the IJssel. It is the economic and cultural center of an extensive region which takes in parts of Drenthe, the Veluwe
and the adjoining Northeast Polder. It has many local government and other offices, higher educational establishments and important commercial houses. Its cattle market, one of the largest in the Netherlands, is of more than regional importance. Zwolle is also a considerable industrial town (vehicle assembly, engineering, foodstuffs, building materials, textiles, woodworking, leather-working, chemicals).
Zwolle first appears in the records in 1040. It consisted of three neighboring communes, two of which were granted municipal charters in 1230. Zwolle became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1348. In 1572 it was taken by William the Silent, and in 1579 it joined the Union of Utrecht.
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