Renting a House in Elburg

The city that was designed on the drawing board in four years — and then didn't grow for five hundred years.

In 1392, Duke William of Jülich commissioned his Veluwe steward, Arent thoe Boecop, to relocate the city of Elburg. Thoe Boecop designed a city that didn't look like a medieval city: no winding streets around a central church, but a strict rectangular grid of 370 by 240 meters, with straight streets and right-angle corners. It was built in four years — city wall, moat, 24 towers, two city gates. The Bishop of Utrecht only granted permission to move the church in 1397, and by then the center was already full. That's why the Grote or Sint-Nicolaaskerk (Great or St. Nicholas Church) is not in the heart of the fortress but in a corner — one of the few medieval cities in the Netherlands where this is the case.

The most remarkable fact: the area laid out by Thoe Boecop in 1392 proved large enough to house all residents until the First World War. For five hundred years, there was no need for expansion. This was partly because Elburg never got a railway connection and the surrounding area remained poor, but also because the fortifications themselves formed a boundary that physically prevented growth. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the first residential extensions appeared outside the ramparts. This dichotomy — the medieval grid within the moat and the post-war neighborhoods outside it — still defines the housing market today.

The Fortress: 250 by 350 Meters of Medieval History

Elburg's fortress is one of the best preserved in the Netherlands, and at the same time one of the smallest inhabited city centers you can find. The city moat is intact, the overgrown ramparts are accessible as a walking path, and the Vischpoort — the only remaining city gate — provides access to the harbor and the Veluwemeer lake. Along the Oosterwalstraat, parts of the original city wall, six to eight meters high, are incorporated into the 'muurhuizen' (wall houses): homes literally built against the medieval defensive wall. The Muurhuisje (Wall House) at Zuiderwalstraat 8, a model house that can be visited, shows how the poorest lived in these dwellings a hundred years ago.

The Arent thoe Boecophuis in the Schapesteeg — the city castle that the steward had built for the duke and received as a gift in 1396 — was probably Elburg's first stone building. After Thoe Boecop's death, his children sold it to the city, which used it as the town hall until 1954. Now it houses the National Organ Museum. The former Agnieten Monastery from the fifteenth century, with its double chapel and cloister garden, became the next town hall and is now Museum Elburg.

Rental properties within the fortress are rare. These are monumental buildings, upstairs apartments, and sometimes an apartment in a former warehouse. The Ellestraat — next to the Krommesteeg, the only crooked street in the fortress, a remnant of the original city before its relocation — and the wall streets are the most sought-after locations. Those who rent here live in the city with the most monuments per square meter in the Netherlands. The downside: the houses are old, the layouts are irregular, parking is limited, and availability changes slowly.

Outside the Ramparts: Oostendorp and the Residential Extensions

Oostendorp, directly east of the fortress, is the main residential extension and has been the location of the town hall since 1974. It is a post-war neighborhood with a spacious layout: single-family homes with gardens, segregated traffic, primary schools, and sports facilities within walking distance. The atmosphere is village-like without the restrictions of the fortress — parking is not a problem here, gardens are larger, and homes have more practical layouts.

The newer extensions on the southwest and north sides of Elburg offer modern, energy-efficient homes. These are typical Veluwe residential areas: low-rise buildings, lots of greenery, child-friendly, and urbanistically understated. The rental housing supply in these neighborhoods is more varied than in the fortress: single-family homes, terraced houses, semi-detached houses, and apartments.

't Harde and Doornspijk: The Other Cores

The municipality of Elburg includes more than just the fortified city. 't Harde, southeast towards the Veluwe, is a village of over six thousand inhabitants that owes its name to the harder subsoil compared to the surrounding area. It's a practical village: good connection to the A28, its own shopping center, and a housing supply consisting predominantly of single-family homes in post-war neighborhoods. Rental prices are generally lower than in the fortified city.

Doornspijk, north towards the Drontermeer lake, is one of the oldest settlements in the Northwest Veluwe — in the thirteenth century, 'Thornspiic' was the most important core in the region, even before Elburg received its city rights. It is now a predominantly agricultural community with a village character. The rental housing supply is limited, but prices are the lowest in the municipality. Hoge Enk, a small village on — as its name suggests — a high-lying piece of land, completes the municipal profile.

Those willing to look outside the fortified city will find significantly more affordable options in 't Harde and Doornspijk. The distance to Elburg itself is limited (five to ten minutes by car), and daily amenities are available in all cores.

Hanseatic City on the Vanished Water

The irony of Elburg is that the city owes its existence to water that is no longer there. Elburg was a Zuiderzee city — first mentioned in 1367 as a Hanseatic city, trading with the Baltic island of Schoonen and having its own factory there. Fishing was a pillar of the economy for centuries, and the Vischpoort connected the city and the harbor. The Afsluitdijk (1932) and the reclamation of Eastern Flevoland (1957) transformed the Zuiderzee into the Veluwemeer lake, and Elburg into a city on a bordering lake instead of an open sea.

This transformation is still visible. Historic 'botters' — the flat-bottomed boats used by Elburg fishermen on the Zuiderzee — lie in the harbor. During the annual Botterdagen, they show themselves under full sail. Near the harbor is the oldest still operational ropewalk in the Netherlands. But commercial fishing has disappeared, and the harbor basin is now recreational: marina, transient berths, and a quay where you can moor in the summer for an ice cream in the fortress.

The Veluwemeer and Drontermeer compensate for the loss: sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, and in winter, ice skating when the bordering lakes freeze over. The Flevopolder is on the other side — Dronten is accessible by ferry. It's a scenic position unlike anywhere else in the Netherlands: medieval fortress, ramparts, bordering lake, polder.

Responding to a Property in Elburg

The Elburg rental market is small. The total housing stock of the municipality is limited, and free sector availability changes slowly. Speed is less decisive than in larger cities, but preparation is all the more important — if a suitable property becomes available, you want to be able to respond immediately with a complete file. Set up an alert on our platform so you get an immediate notification of new listings.

When viewing properties in the fortress: pay attention to their monumental status. Renovations are subject to strict rules, and responsibilities for maintaining monumental elements sometimes differ from regular rental properties. Explicitly ask about this in the rental agreement.

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