Sint Jansklooster

Ambt Vollenhove is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consisted of the countryside surrounding the city of Vollenhove, which was a separate municipality. Ambt Vollenhove existed from 1818 to 1942 when it became a part of Vollenhove.

The Zwarte Water ("Black Water") is a river in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is formed just south of the city of Zwolle when two streams, the Soestwetering and the Nieuwe Wetering, merge. The Zwarte Water then flows north through Zwolle, bends to the northeast, takes in the Vecht near Hasselt and flows past the town of Zwartsluis to discharge itself in the Zwarte Meer ("Black Lake", connected to the IJsselmeer lake) near Genemuiden. Contrary to popular belief, the Zwarte Water is not an IJssel branch, nor is it another name for the Vecht. The river is, however, connected to the IJssel by two canals, the Willemsvaart (dug in the early nineteenth century, now disused) and the Zwolle-IJssel Canal.

Brederwiede is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It was created in a merger of Blokzijl, Giethoorn, Vollenhove, and Wanneperveen in 1973, and existed until it became a part of Steenwijk in 2001 (since 2003: Steenwijkerland).

Stad Vollenhove is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consisted of the city of Vollenhove. It existed from 1818 to 1942, when it merged with the municipality of Ambt Vollenhove, which covered the surrounding countryside.

Vollenhove is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk. Until the Noordoostpolder was drained, it was located on the coast of the Zuiderzee. Vollenhove received city rights in 1354. Later it was the main city in this region, that was formerly called Land van Vollenhove. Vollenhove was the summer residence of the bishop of Utrecht, the ruler of these parts. He lived in the castle Toutenburg, of which only some small ruins are left now. To be near their lord, quite some nobility moved to Vollenhove. They built their estates (Dutch: havezates) in the town, which was unique. Therefore, Vollenhove was called the city of palaces. Like Blokzijl, peat transport to Holland by ship caused the small city to flourish during the 17th century. Vollenhove was a separate municipality until 1973, when it became a part of Brederwiede. Between 1818 and 1942, the municipality was divided into two parts, Stad Vollenhove (the city) and Ambt Vollenhove (the countryside).

Belt-Schutsloot is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, about 3 km north of Zwartsluis.The village originally consisted of two parts, Belt (also called "Zandbelt") and Schutsloot, and was also called "Schutsloot en Zandbelt".

Genemuiden is a city located in the north western part of the Province of Overijssel. It received city rights in 1275, which is also the first time Genemuiden gets mentioned in history.It stayed independent up until 2001 when, despite fierce opposition of its inhabitants, it was forced to merge with the smaller, neighbouring villages of Zwartsluis and Hasselt to form the municipality of Zwartewaterland. The town itself doesn't have any buildings over 150 years old as two fires destroyed the town completely in 1866. These fires could not be controlled due to the great number of hay stacks in one street, 'de Achterweg' or 'Nachtweg'. This street still holds a non smoking sign, which is unique for a street in Europe. Since the 18th century, the people from Genemuiden have been producing floor mats made of the bulrush that grows on the shores of the Zuiderzee. When the quality of the bulrush deteriorated in the 20th century, due to the change from salt water to fresh water (see Zuiderzee), the industry switched over to using coir imported from India to produce mats and carpets. In the sixties the first tufting machines were imported and currently Genemuiden is one of Europe's main production centres of tufted carpet and artificial grass. Genemuiden is a Protestant stronghold, having five Reformed Protestant denominations and no Roman Catholic church. It's on the north-eastern tip of the so-called Dutch Bible Belt.

Blokzijl is a small city located southwest of Steenwijk in the province of Overijssel, the Netherlands. The city is a major tourist destination near the De Weerribben-Wieden National Park and attracts many water sports enthusiasts. Blokzijl was founded in the 1580s as a trading post for peat. After the Siege of Steenwijk (1580–81) in the Eighty Years' War, the Dutch built a fortified lock or in local dialect zijl or siel. The monumental houses around the picturesque harbour were built during 17th century. Blokzijl received city rights in 1672, but was stripped of them a few years later. Until 1973, it was a separate municipality, when it became a component of the new municipality Brederwiede; it is now part of Steenwijkerland. One the interesting sights of the city is an old cannon, located on the harbour quay. This cannon was not used for defense purposes, but as a warning device during storm and high tide. Flooding was a real danger before the Noordoostpolder and the Afsluitdijk were constructed in the 1930-40's. One residential building shows the height the water reached during a flood in 1825. In 1926, a fire destroyed part of the centre and damaged the church.

Kaatje bij de Sluis is a restaurant located in Blokzijl, Netherlands. It is a fine dining restaurant awarded one or two Michelin stars from 1978 until the present time, with the exception of 2005. GaultMillau awarded them 16.0 points (out of 20).The predecessor of head chef Peter Postma was André Mol, who was responsible for the two Michelin star rating.Kaatje bij de Sluis is a member of Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise.The restaurant is located in the centre of Blokzijl, a small but old town, near the sluices. The name points to the legend of "Kaatje", a girl who at a young age assumed leadership over the kitchen of the inn "In den Gouden Walvisch".

Hof van Sonoy is a defunct restaurant in Blokzijl, Netherlands. It was a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in 2005 and retained that rating until 2008.Owner and head chef of Hof van Sonoy was Paul van Staveren.Restaurant Hof van Sonoy was located in a refurbished 19th century school.The restaurant lost its star in 2008, when the restaurant was closed. The owner moved the restaurant to Emmeloord and opened the restaurant there as Sonoy.Hof van Sonoy was a member of Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise since 2006.

The Jachin en Boazkerk is a church of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations in Genemuiden, Overijssel, the Netherlands. It was built in 2003, and can hold 1,850 people.

The Kop van Overijssel (English: Head of Overijssel) is a region in the very northwestern part of the Dutch province of Overijssel. It consists of the municipality of Steenwijkerland and matches the historical region of the Land van Vollenhove. In past times it comprised a wider area, the municipalities of Kampen, Zwartewaterland and Staphorst also belonging to it. The Kop van Overijssel has about 43,000 inhabitants and an area of about 322 km2, of which a tenth is water. The 'capital' is Steenwijk. Other noteworthy places are Blokzijl, Giethoorn (a 'Venice of the North') and Vollenhove. The region is nearly surrounded by three provincial borders: in the west that of Flevoland (Noordoostpolder region), in the north that of Friesland (Stellingwerven region) and in the east that of Drenthe (the municipalities of Westerveld and Meppel). In the south it borders on Salland, another region of Overijssel. In the is a marsh of about 60 km2, Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden. It is a national park that contains the lakes Beulakerwijde and Belterwijde.