Elburg

This little village is so cute, you may not want to leave. It was fortified around in 1392 AD and still sits snugly inside a defensive town moat, earthen walls and remnants of the town wall.

The grid street plan is mostly original, except where canals and gardens had to make way for more houses. This happened at the start of the 20th century when there were far too many people living within the town walls. The poorest people then found refuge in “wall houses”. Nowadays, pot plants in the alleyways compensate for the disconcerting lack of greenery.
What can you do here? Take a tour of the earthen walls. Explore the village (you can’t get lost in a grid street plan!). Visit 15th -century Grote / St. Nicolas Church. Have a look at the oldest Rope Walk in the country (1745), just outside Vischpoort. Ropes, of course, were essential for ships, shipping and fishery.
Elburg Museum of cultural history is spread out over five locations: 1) The main location is a former convent of the Sisters of St. Agnes who lived cut off from the outside world. Built in the 15th century, it boasts an unusual chapel (upstairs was for the nuns and downstairs was for the lay people). The museum has a permanent collection and a temporary exhibition; 2) The convent garden; 3) A wall house from 100 years ago; 4) a casemate in the earthen wall; 5) Vischpoort, the Town Gate that leads to the harbour.