Kampen 1598

Description

Pretty map of Kampen, this city has one of the best preserved old town centres of the Netherlands, including remains of the ancient city wall (of which three gates are still standing) and numerous churches.

The city came to early prosperity due to trade between the Baltics and the Rhine hinterland in the Hanseatic League. Another source of great wealth came from the rents from the growing Kampereiland a rich agricultural land created by land reclamation and cultivation. Prominence later declined due to the naval trade routes getting silted up and the growth in shipping sizes.