Zutphen

Zutphen (zŭt`fən), city (1994 pop. 31,309), Gelderland prov., E central Netherlands, on the IJssel River. It is an administrative, industrial, and commercial center. Zutphen was chartered in 1191 and was an important Spanish stronghold during the Dutch struggle for independence (16th cent.). Philip Sidney died in a skirmish at the city's walls while aiding his uncle, the earl of Leicester, in an unsuccessful attempt to take Zutphen from the Spanish. The city was captured by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau in 1591. Notable structures include the 12th-century Gothic church of St. Walpurgis and many buildings of the 17th and 18th cent.